Twin Like Me

It's Hard to Say Goodbye

2012-02-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

"It's hard to say goodbye." -Bryce Larkin, in the pilot episode of Chuck.

How prophetic those words turned out to be. Two weeks ago, in an epic 2-hour finale, Chuck signed off for good, after 5 seasons and 91 episodes. It's been an emotional journey (both for me and our hero, Chuck). Let's commemorate one of my favorite TV shows of all time (and I love TV, so that's saying something) with a list (hey, I also love lists!) of what I love about Chuck. If I can stop crying enough to actually write it. Okay, I've been "writing" this for some time now (I started the morning after it ended) so the tears have stopped and the nostalgia has set in full-time. Let's go!

1. The Cast. I initially checked out the show for Adam Baldwin, who so fantastically played Jayne in Firefly. And he's even better as Casey, the NSA agent with a million grunts. Pretty immediately, though, I realized that the whole cast was pretty special, from Yvonne Strahovski (who knew she's really Australian? She hides it well) to Ryan McPartlin, and of course, light of my life Zachary Levi. Not only are they genuinely good actors, I'm also pretty sure they'd be fun to hang out with.

2. The Characters. Captain Awesome, why are you not someone I know in real life? Jeff and Lester, I'm super glad that I don't know you in real life, but I enjoyed having you on my TV. Some I loved immediately, and some snuck up on me, but eventually, saying goodbye to the characters on Chuck was like saying goodbye to real-life friends (yes, I know that means I have no life).

3. The Guest Stars. Scott Bakula! Linda Hamilton! Timothy Dalton! Chevy Chase! Nicole Richie! Oh wait. JK, she was actually really good, because you're totally supposed to hate her character. Summer Glau, the Old Spice Guy, Tricia Helfer, I could go on. And on. Because Chuck has had a million awesome guest stars, from the super geeky to the super cool.

4. The Funny. Chuck is super funny. Probably funnier than most of half-hour comedies on TV. I can rely on Chuck for at least one good belly laugh per episode, usually more. It's honestly one of the happiest shows I've ever watched.

5. The Serious. Which is not to say it doesn't know how to be serious. There are moments on the show that are heartbreaking and just plain tragic. It has made me cry! Not as much as it made me laugh, but for a funny show, Chuck really knew how to bring the drama.

6. The Action! Spies!!! I'm sure they're not really as much fun as Sarah, Casey, and Chuck are, but this is TV! There are car chases, fights, gun play, and more! True story, the only Emmys that Chuck has ever won are for the super awesome stunts. Also, Sarah Walker is my hero. My action hero. Har har!

7. The Music. Quick: name a current artist and their latest song! The chances that I've heard of them and actually know the song: pretty low. The chances of me searching for a song on the internet after I heard it on Chuck: much, much higher. The songs were always perfect and frequently cool enough that I could pretend very briefly to have music cred. Bonus points to Tim Jones, who wrote all the musical themes and the score, which could be beautiful, funny, scary, or all three at once.

8. Jeffster! Here's where I insert a picture of myself wearing a Jeffster! shirt. JK, I don't have a picture of myself wearing a Jeffster! shirt. But I do have a Jeffster! shirt, so someday it could exist. The world's creepiest cover band, with Lester on vocals and Jeff on keytar, Jeffster! has provided some of my favorite musical moments on the show, including a fantastic performance in the finale that had me laughing, cheering, and crying.

9. The Romance. Proof that having your main couple get together doesn't have to kill a show. It can make it awesome! When Chuck and Sarah finally got together, I cheered. When they got engaged, I cried. Yes, it's safe to say that I was crazy invested in the relationship of the fake people on my television. Whatever, it's romantic!

10. Rewatchable! In the 2 weeks since Chuck went off the air for good, I have watched 26 episodes Chuck. That's right, I started from the beginning, and I'm already halfway through season 2! And I still love it. In fact, I probably love it more now than I did before.

"I love you, Chuck. Nothing's ever going to change that."-Sarah Walker

Me too, Sarah. Me too. Thanks for five Awesome years, Chuck!

I'm being tested. HELP ME!!

2012-01-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

I got a new calling at church a few weeks ago: I am now the Family Home Evening coordinator in my ward (for those of you keeping track, I'm also the Family History Consultant. Wheee!) Anywho, FHE is the calling I like to call "the soul crusher." It gives people nervous breakdowns. So I'm a little anxious. And wondering who has it in for me.

Since I still have my family history calling as well, you can bet that we're going to be doing some Family History FHEs. I also have a small selection of FHEs that I planned in grad school that we'll probably be pulling out. Still, I need more ideas! Anyone have any they would like to share? Some specs to help you out-the people attending are probably in their twenties or early thirties. They're single. They're mostly female. They range in number from 5 to 20, although if 20 people showed up to FHE, I'd probably die of shock.

Okay, friends and family. Now's the time to help me magnify my calling. Go!

Check one off the list!

2011-12-29T10:43:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolutions time once more, folks, and as you can see, I have totally succeeded from last year! My first goal was to stop procrastinating, and I'm writing this 3 days early. I saved New Years! On to 2012!

1. Fit into that one pair of pants. You know who you are, pants, aka, my Nemesis of Christmas. You caused me a lot of pain, suffering, and undignified pants-wearing habits. So, even though you aren't my pants, and I will probably never need to wear you again, this year I will defeat your evil, skinny ways!

2. Stop getting fries at Burger King. This might help with number 1. Anywho, my initial goal was to eat at BK less, but then I realized that I could still get burgers, which I really like, if I cut out their grody fries, which I totally don't.

3. Read all my church assignments during the week so I know what's going on in RS and Sunday School. Yes, this is a repeat goal from last year. And the year before. Actually, I did much better last year than I had before, so I figure if I keep making this kind of progress, I will probably be 100% on this one in about 20 years.

4. Get a passport. In case I need to quickly flee the country.

5. Read some children's classics. I finally read Winnie the Pooh last year (loved it!!), and this year, I'd like to knock out The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.

6. Shop more at the farmer's market. First of all, it makes me feel cool. Second, they have good stuff. Third, I'm pretty sure it's good for the earth. Fourth, sometimes the people from Ace of Cakes shop there! So I'm going to do it.

I think that's enough to be going on for a while. I'd say the next year at least. Good luck with all of your resolutions, faithful readers!

'Tis the season!

2011-12-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

I like to do it up right at Christmas, and by "it," I mean my house, and by "up right," I mean decorate it like there's no tomorrow. I've had some special requests (Hi, Mom!) to see the awesomeness, so here goes.

I got this nativity for $1! Awesome, yes?

Crabs for Christmas! Yay! I live in Baltimore!

I don't think anyone appreciates how awesome my wrapped bannister is, but it is really neat.

Jeffrey, my Christmas fish! Isn't he pretty? I will keep him, even after Christmas is over.

Stockings hung by the chimney with care. I made the one in the middle, and I made the money that paid for the other two. Not made as in "made on my own printing press," but made as in "earned when I was working."

Our Christmas tree! Kate cut it down herself. Very manly and tough. Plus, there's candy in all those little red boxes. :)

Dollar store wreath! Actually, it cost more like like $5 plus labor, but I didn't charge myself for that.

The tiny gingerbread house I made at Maren and David's.

For our last FHE at church, we also made gingerbread houses. You can't tell from the pictures, because there's nothing here for scale, but the one we made at FHE is about 5 times bigger that the one I just showed you. Anyhow, it was a group project type of thing. My group was Leah, Monica, Sabrina, and moi. I think we did a pretty good job!

The back of our house, as decorated by me.

Sabrina's side of the house, complete with climbing vines and a tiny snowman.

Lean's side of the house, plus a really good view of the front porch as made by Monica.

The front of the house, complete with stained glass windows, done by Monica. Notice the tiny snowman, plus the awesome roof done by Monica and me, and the red brick chimney (with smoke coming out).

Creepy gingerbread representation of me, as done by Leah. I made the skirt, though.

Ta da! My house, decorated for Christmas. There's a lot more, but I didn't think you'd want to see 500 more pictures. Have a Merry Christmas, y'all!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-11-29T12:22:00.001-08:00

That's right, faithful readers! About one month ago (I am a slacker at blogging and at life), it was my birthday! We shall not mention my age or my birth year, because I don't want people to be able to stalk me through the internet. Yeah, that's what it is.

Anywhoodles, I had a great birthday. First of all, you can't go wrong with a Halloween birthday. You get to dress up, plus people give you candy! And when they find out it's your birthday, they give you extra candy! My lovely coworkers gave me great presents, including some super awesome Harry Potter pencils, a Butterbeer scented candle, Butterbeer earrings (they look like little bottles. They're so cute!), and Butterbeer flavored cupcakes. Mmmm...cupcakes... Also, I have really nice church friends, who had a party for me and gave me socks! Apparently, they noticed my well-documented affection for socks. Good times.

The library team in our Halloween best. You can't see my HP scar in this picture, but I had several children convinced that it was real. I am just that skilled with makeup.

Then it was time for my present to me: another trip to New York City! I went with Kate and my friend Jessie (who also documented our fun times on her blog). When we got to NYC, we met up with Niki (who was already there because an international friend had been visiting), and Larissa, our awesome friend in Brooklyn who let us stay with her. Niki and Larissa spent a lot of the trip pretending to be embarrassed by Kate, Jessie, and me, because we inadvertently wore matchy red jackets, but I know the truth. They were just jealous.

We even walk in sync. That's how awesome we are. No wonder they were jealous.

The first thing we did (besides sleeping and eating, which are things I do all the time, so they don't seem exotic) was go to the Empire State Building! It's really, really tall. And after you ride the elevator up to the 80th floor, the workers will tell you that it's much faster to walk the last 6 flights of stairs, rather than waiting for the elevator. They're not entirely wrong. It was pretty fast. But they're big fat liars about it only being 6 flights of stairs. I definitely counted 8. Luckily I have Sheera power, so I handily made it to the top. I thought we might lose some of our party on the way up, though.

So yeah, the Empire State Building is crazy tall. I took about a million pictures from the top, just to prove that I was there. Also, I actually remembered to bring my camera and to get new batteries, so it seemed like I ought to take advantage of that.

My favorite of my Empire State Building pics. I look pretty!

Also, the views (you can basically see the entire city, and since it's ginormous, that's a big deal) are totally awesome, so I took about a billion pictures of those. Here's a few that freaked out Mom. I told her I leaned waaaaay out to get them. JK. She was just freaked out because you can tell how crazy high up we are.

Look at how little the cars are!

This one kind of freaks me out, too, if I'm being honest.

We spent a whole lot of time up at the top, admiring the views and attempting to get really cute pictures of ourselves on all sides of the Empire State Building.

Admiring the View. This picture is a lie. I did not have any quarters for this machine.

A pigeon that freaked me out at the top of the Empire State Building. Doesn't it know how high up we were? How did it get up there? Why did it get up there?? What does it want from us?!?!?!

Then we had to spend some time in the gift shop, of course. I really, really wanted one of these gorillas for my collection (why yes, I do have a collection of gorilla stuffed animals. Thank you for asking!). But since the price of one Santa-hatted gorilla was only $1 less that the fee to get to the top of the Empire State Building, I couldn't really justify it.

Curse my public servant salary!!!

After our trip to the Empire State Building, it was time for everyone to indulge me! Because it was birthday! So we went to the main branch of the New York Public Library! I mostly wanted to see everything, but even more than that, I mostly wanted to see the lions. Do you know about the lions? They're ginormous marble lions out in front of the library, named, appropriately enough, Patience and Fortitude. That's appropriate because those are two of the main virtues you need to work in a public library!

Fortitude!

Patience!

The library was just as amazing as I hoped it would be. It's almost like a museum, it's so pretty inside and out. And there's a gift shop! My "Shhhhh!" t-shirt was a great investment. In my happiness.

There were many steps and columns. It was most tranquil.

I don't know why this picture is so little, but look how pretty the inside of the library is! Look!

The other awesome thing about the library was that I saw a celebrity! A librarian celebrity! I read a blog on School Library Journal's website by a children's librarian at NYPL. And almost as soon as we stepped into the library, I saw her! I'm afraid I might have gone a little swimfan on her, but rather that being freaked out, she was super nice, and said it made her feel like a rock star! (True story, we communicated about that through her blog post the next week.) The best part about it was that she told us about the first 90-second Newbery Film Festival, which just happened to be occurring at the library in about 15 minutes! We stayed for about an hour, watching many 90-second films about Newbery award-winning books. It was super fun! I wish we could have stayed for the whole thing, but fabulous New York City weekend waits for no woman (not even a librarian), so we missed the last half. Still, it was awesome. Plus, Jon Sciezka was there! Anyhow, you should really check out some of the 90-second films. They're very impressive and short.

After our fabulous and educational time at the library, we decided to get tickets to a Broadway show. I'll not lie, this is my favorite thing about NYC. Broadway!!! We really wanted to see How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, because little Danny Rad-cakes is in it! But it was sold out (sad face), so we had to settle for this:

The closest we could get to Daniel Radcliffe. :(

But we still really, really wanted to see a show, so Kate and I were tyrants, and made us buy tickets to Billy Elliot instead! I think not everyone wanted to see it, but they bought the tickets anyway, with very little protest. And they all liked it in the end, so I'd say it worked out. In the time that we had to wait before our show, we decided to eat dinner at a restaurant called Juniors. It's the busiest, fullest restaurant I have ever been in. There were seriously about 10 million people in there. I think it's because it's right there in the theater district, so all those hungry theater people come to eat. Also, they have excellent cheesecake, which we knew from our last visit to NYC. I wish I had taken a picture of the cheeseburger I got. It was enormous! I honestly didn't even eat my fries (or finish the burger) because I was so stinkin' full. I couldn't even stomach ordering cheesecake! But I did order a black and white cookie (which came in super handy on our bus ride back to Baltimore Sunday night).

This...is not a picture that I took. I stole it from the interwebs. But yeah, imagine this, with about 5 times as many people, and that should give you a good idea what it was like.

After dinner it was time for us to see Billy Elliot: The Musical. For those who don't know, Billy Elliot was a movie made about 11 years ago, about a little boy who lives in Northern England in the 1980s during the coal miners' strike. In 2005, Billy Elliot was turned into a musical with music by Elton John! Fancy! Also, it won a bunch of Tony's when it first opened on Broadway. Anywho, Billy is an 11 year old boy who starts taking ballet, kind of by chance, and it turns out that he's really good and loves to dance, but people aren't necessarily supportive of him. The play is about Billy and his dancing, and the town and the strike, and it was awesome. The boy who played Billy was amazing. He made me feel bad for having no talents, he was just that good. He was a fantastic dancer, his singing was lovely, and he was such a good actor that he made not only me cry, but Kate as well! And that's much harder than making me cry. There is some bad language in it, (especially in this one super awesome song that's goes back and forth between the miners and the little girls in Billy's ballet class), but I would still definitely recommend the show. If you want to see it on Broadway though, you better hurry, because it's closing in January!

He just wanted to dance, and that was my dream, too!

After the show, we wandered around Times Square for awhile, including going into the M&Ms store, which was pretty neat. By this point, though, I was super tired and I refused to take my camera out. So I don't have any photographic evidence of it, but honestly, we were there.

Sunday was our day for winding down, going to church, and then heading back to Baltimore. I ate my giant cookie on the bus. It was a great way to leave New York. I can tell why people fall so completely in love with the city. I've had so much fun both times that I've gone! I can't wait to go again! Of course, a lot of it is because of the people I was with. So thanks a bunch for being awesome, Kate, Jessie, Niki, and Larissa! You made it a great birthday trip!

Group Shot!

I did it!

2011-10-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

I grew something in my garden, and then I ate it before a rat did!

Those of you have been following my gardening woes know that last year, my maiden voyage of front-yard gardening, was a complete and resounding failure. All of my plants died, and not one produced any sort of food. This year, I tried some new tricks, but it looked like my garden might still follow a similar course. First of all, it was, once again, really hot and dry this summer, but I was much more diligent about watering than I was last summer. Second, I actually planted these plants in the soil, instead of just in large pots.

Anyhow, things started off with a whimper, as my zucchini plant shriveled up and died in less than a week. But my tomatoes were growing steadily taller, and my peppers weren't shrinking, so that seemed like a good sign. And in August, something exciting happened: I saw an actual tomato on one of my tomato plants! It was still tiny and green, so I decided to wait for it to grow/ripen. That ended up being a mistake, because the day I finally went out to pick it, I discovered that a large bite had been taken out of it! Oh Noes! My conclusion was that a rat had eaten my tomato. I was a bit discouraged.

Then came September and the floods. Not literally, but almost. We had a whole heck of a lot of rain the last part of summer/early part of autumn. The result: my peppers started to grow! And yesterday, I was finally able to enjoy the fruits of my labor when I ate a banana (I think) pepper grown in my own front yard! I ate it in a quesadilla, for anyone wondering. It was delicious!

This is not an actual picture of the pepper I grew in my yard, by the way. I tried to get of picture of that, but my camera is dead, and going to the store to buy batteries was not something I wanted to do. But this gives you a pretty good idea.

So that's my success story. I also have a bell (I think) pepper growing, and I'm really hoping that I get to eat it before it dies or gets eaten my rodents. My goal for next year is to be able to eat at least 3 things from my garden. Any gardening tips, faithful readers?

I'm famous!

2011-10-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

Because I am mentioned in a very fancy pants book blog!

But first, some background. This blog was written by my pen pal. That's right, I have a pen pal! I'm cool like that. Seriously, though, I never had a pen pal when I was a kid (when most people have/get pen pals). But I always thought it might be cool, so when the lovely ladies at FYA (a site I have mentioned here before) started a pen pal club, I signed up immediately.

Anywho, now I have a pen pal. And her name is Meredith! I know what you're thinking, but it's not me writing myself letters so I will feel popular. It's actually another person whose name is also Meredith! She lives near Boston, and in spite of the name of her blog, is not a librarian. So you can see that we are, in fact, two separate individuals. But she's awesome, and a totally great pen pal. Every time I get a letter from her in the mail, it puts a big smile on my face. There's just something about getting mail, and getting mail from someone who is only my friend through the United States Postal Service. Hopefully we will be pen friends for a very long time.

There you have it! My 15 minutes of fame! BTW, in case you haven't already done so, now is the time for you to go back and read the fancy pants book blog that mentions me. I'll wait. Welcome back! I wish that my blog about pen pals could be as clever and filled with action figures as hers, but let's be honest. Even if I had action figures, I could not put them on this blog. My camera's batteries are dead.

I am boring

2011-09-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family! I realized today that I haven't posted in almost a month, but then I realized why: I am boring. I don't think a single significant thing has happened to me in the last month except that my shows are back on. Whee!

After thinking about it for a while longer, though, I realized what the problem is: I have been blogging a lot (like, once a week a lot) for work, and it's using up my creative energy! So, I am going to link you to my work blog, and you'll see why I can't think of anything clever to say here.

If you decide to read it, you should start with George in New York and work your way up from there. It's pretty fantastic if I do say so myself. Enjoy! Or not. I don't know your life.

Next up: Plague of Locusts!

2011-08-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

I have survived 2 separate natural disasters in one week: an earthquake and a hurricane! First up, there was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Virginia last Tuesday that was felt all the way up in New York. So we definitely felt it in Baltimore. I was at work, talking with some coworkers at the circulation desk. We heard something by the windows, and thinking it might be the window washers or some kids messing around outside, I said I would go and see who it was. Before I had taken two steps though, the entire building started shaking, and people were freaking out. My branch manager yelled, "Everybody get outside!" And to set a good example, she reached the door in about 1.2 seconds.

After about half an hour outside trying unsuccessfully to use our cell phones (I gave a helpful speech about why an earthquake might disturb cell phone service to a bunch of children), we were told we could go back inside. Then about 5 minutes later they changed their minds and told us all to go home. And I had only been at work for about three hours! I ended up spending the afternoon with Maren and Grace, making tropical squares, hiking in the woods, watching The Electric Company, and eating dinner. It was a really nice day. Thanks, earthquake! The only damage at work-some cracks in the walls that might have gotten bigger. The only damage at home-one of my pictures tipped over. All in all, my kind of natural disaster.

My second natural disaster was Hurricane Irene. I'll admit, this one wasn't as pleasant as the earthquake because:

We knew she was coming. So we spent a lot of time getting really nervous about her.
Even though I got out of work 2 hours early on Saturday, I have to use my own time for it. Boo!
The main storm hit while I was asleep, so I didn't even get to appreciate it.
There was apparently some kind of leaking by the front door of my house, so it is now freakishly hard to open and close it. We're really hoping that it will dry out in a couple of days and go back to normal. If not, our landlord says he'll come and shave down the doorframe or something. I don't know.
Church was canceled. Of course, I had already made my food for munch and mingle, so now I have a ginormous bowl up substandard (I messed up the recipe) German potato salad to finish off, and I don't think I can do it. Plus, having home church is way hard. You can only do churchy things for so long by yourself before you start to go crazy.
The tree in my front yard was almost completely blown over in the storm! I should have taken some pictures of it before I staked it up, but I didn't think to. So you'll just have to trust me. It was leaning over a lot more than this. Also, trust that it is a heavier tree than it looks. I literally could not get it to stand up any taller than this.

But by far the worst thing about the hurricane was the power outages. We got lucky at my house, and the power never even flickered. But I'm pretty sure that was just our street and a few houses around the corner. A good portion of the rest of the neighborhood was still without power as of this morning. Maren and Dave had no power for about 42 hours. Several of the libraries in the city have been closed because they have no power. And most tragic of all, the schools have been closed! The first, blessed day of school was supposed to be Monday, but since many of the city schools had no power, they have been off for the last two days. It just isn't fair. I was supposed to be free! Free!!!

Update: Since typing the above, I have heard that school is starting tomorrow! I'm saved!

Anywho, those were my two natural disaster experiences. Since I have gone my whole life without living though any natural disasters, it's pretty amazing to have had two in one week. I can only conclude that this trend will continue and try to prepare. I think we'll be facing a plague of locusts next, but for our fourth disastrous occurrence, I can't decide what it will be. I'm torn between Rise of the Machines and Zombie Apocalype. The way things are going, we might get both! But rest assured, unless it's the Rise of the Machines, I will be blogging about it!

I rewatched it so you don't have to: Roswell, Season 1

2011-08-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Aka, my obsession for two years of high school. This post is for Chelsea! And any other closet Roswell fans who read my blog. Once, our friend John had to plan a fake campaign trip for his fake run for office, and he said one of his stops was going to be Roswell, NM because Chelsea and I would surely be living there. My computer password for all of high school was "Roswell." Don't get any ideas-that's not my password now, so stop trying to hack me!

Okay, so eventually I plan on rewatching the entire series, but after binging on season 1 (I honestly watched it in about a week), I needed a break. So, without further ado, my thoughts on Roswell Season 1.

First of all, I can't believe these kids were supposed to be the same age as me! They look older than I do now, and it's been 10 years(!). Seriously though, they're not even trying to look like teenagers! Max is actively looking middle-aged.

Speaking of Max: What a buzzkill! Honestly, he has no personality at all except boring. Is boring a personality? On the other hand, that makes him perfect for Liz, who, in spite of her super shiny hair, is about as exciting as watching paint dry. And man, those two are gross together. I honestly reached a point where I would automatically cringe and look away whenever they would kiss. Gross! They disgust (and bore) me. And when Max isn't wearing a shirt: EW!!! I have never been so disgusted by someone's muscles before (or since). At the end of the season, when we find out that Max is the leader of the aliens, I believe I said something like, "Oh you have got to be kidding me!!! He is going to be so much more lame than before!" C'mon Max! Remember when you were in that one episode of Buffy? You were awesome! What happened to you? I can only conclude that Roswell sucked the fun out of you. It's a fun sucker.

On to more interesting/exciting things, namely Kyle. Seriously, when Liz dumped him, I kept yelling very rude and uncomplimentary things at her. She's a fool! Kyle is the best/funniest character on the show! Honestly, the extra helping of Kyle is what I'm looking forward to most in season 2. Woo! Kyle! I love you and your cowboy outfits! And your hair!

While we're at it: Sheriff Valenti, good job for being the grown-up on the show. You always wore a cowboy hat. That's about it. Oh, and stop trying to arrest Max for saving Liz's boring life! It's not illegal! Good job becoming less crazy by the end of the season, but really, you should have paid more attention to your son Kyle (aka, the light of my Roswell life).

Okay, on to Isabel! Um, I feel uncomfortable by the fact that really old guys are always hitting on her. Because she's supposed to be 17. But she is a better actress than Liz and is about a million times more interesting that Max, so there's that. Plus, she's definitely the most famous Roswell alum. You go, Isabel! True, many people find you to be incredibly annoying, but at least you're not irrelevant! P.S. If I were you, I would just tell Max to shut it and tell my mom the truth. She deserves it/Max sucks. And BTW, you should really not pretend to like Alex. It makes us all feel weird on the inside.

Hey Alex! She's not into you! And your BFF Liz is totally suck! You should try to hang out with Maria and Kyle more. And maybe get a new stylist. This totally baggy look is not good for you.

Last but certainly not least, we have Michael and Maria! YAY!!! Aside from Kyle (ILU, Kyle!), Michael and Maria and definitely the reason to watch this show. I feel like this is what they might have been going for with Liz and Max, except that Michael and Maria and interesting, funny, and not painful to watch. Yeah, I said it. Plus, Michael is all damaged because of his crappy childhood! And Maria and all quirky because of her weirdo mom! Thanks for making Roswell swoony for me, you guys!

Okay, other stuff about the show. Since this show takes place when I was actually in high school myself, the fashion is really representative of how people looked (or wanted to look) at that time. Some of the fashions are hideous! But I was very surprised by how nostalgic it made me for some of those fashions. Not belly shirts, though. That does not look good on anyone. Also, I totally remember loving Maria's hair, but it is really stupid. So I obviously had bad taste.

Other things to mention-the technology! Remember when Miss Topolski is trying to send a secret message to the FBI, and she has to wait for her dial-up internet to connect? Good times! I remember dial-up! Mom would always need to use the phone while we were trying to use the internet or vice versa! So frustrating. Anywho, while we're on the subject of technology, will someone please get busy with inventing my flying car? Thanks.

Finally, the theme song! Oh man, I love!!!!!!! this theme song. Even now, I still totes love it. In fact, one of the first CDs I ever owned was a Dido CD, which I got because of the Roswell theme song. Whoever picked that theme song did a real grood job.

So, overall, this is a totally cheesy and kinda dumb teen show, but I can see why I loved it so much as an actual teenager. And I really am looking forward to season 2. If only Liz and Max weren't in it...

I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me: a review of the final Harry Potter movie ever (Sob!)

2011-07-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Readers, you are lucky that this is a review of the last Harry Potter movie, not the last Harry Potter book. Because if it was the book, I would be crying too much to be coherent, and my tears would probably short out the keyboard I am typing on. Because, SPOILER ALERT: it's sad. Which is not to say the movie wasn't sad. It was. But at least when I was watching the movie, I knew who was going to die, so I wasn't shocked and stunned sad.

Anywho, without further ado, my review, in bullet points.

Times I have seen the movie: 2

I saw it with my roommate Kate on Friday (opening day) at 7 and again on Monday after work. But aside from the next bullet point, my review will focus on the first time I saw it.

Times I saw the movie in 3D: 1

Philosophy confirmed by finally seeing a movie in 3D: If I wanted to see things in 3D, I would be out living my life, not watching a movie! Honestly, there were only about 2 cool moments, and the rest of the time the 3D was distracting. Definitely not worth $3 extra.

Time I waited in line for the bathroom: 20 minutes. It's a good thing we got there a little early! Kate and I saw the movie at a very cool old theater that has about a billion seats and a ginormous screen, but they have the smallest ladies room in the world! Luckily, people were going super fast.

Number of people who gave up and left the line because they were worried the movie would start while they were waiting: at least 5. The panic about missing the opening minutes was hilarious, but I was starting to get nervous myself, so I can't judge. My favorite moment: A girl who was actually in the stall doing her business saying in a totally panicked voice, "I can't believe this is happening!" We had started a rumor that the movie was starting early. Ha ha!
Number of friends I made in line: 4! People waiting to use the bathroom at the final Harry Potter movie ever are super friendly. Except for when we started that rumor. That was kind of mean. Good times.

Number of people I saw in costume: more than I could count. I was a little amazed, because I thought people only dressed up at midnight showings. But it was so fun! And it made me really glad that I wore my muggle shirt and my Luna Lovegood earrings.

Number of times my little neighbor (he was probably about 15) asked me if that happened in the book: at least 3. My answer: Isn't this your favorite book ever? Isn't that what you told me right before this movie started?? Isn't it???

Number of times he asked me what the people onscreen just said: about the same. To be clear, I actually did try to answer his questions. But since it's his favorite book ever written (not just his favorite Harry Potter book) it seemed like he would know better than me. Perhaps he recognized my superior intellect and naturally gravitated towards it?

Number of time the audience spontaneously started cheering and clapping: So, so many. I can count at least 10 times, but there may have been more. And since I was cheering and clapping right along with them, I didn't mind one bit.

Person who got the most spontaneous cheering: Neville Longbottom. I'm pretty sure. In any case, he's fabulously awesome, plus he grew up to be extremely handsome.

Number of times I cried: 4. I won't say when for the sake of those who've not read the books (Shame!!!) or seen the movie yet, but I will say that 3 of those times, they were quiet tears and restrained sniffling. And the 4th time, which was when the credits started rolling, Kate and I were both full-on sobbing. We sat through the credits so we could pull ourselves together. And I definitely heard other people crying throughout the film. Oddly enough, when I saw the movie for the second time, I didn't cry as much, but I did cry at one different place in the movie.

Number of things left out/changed from the books that I wish they had left in: at least 6. But to be fair, I didn't think of those things at all while I was watching the movie. It was only later while I was thinking about it in depth that I remembered what was missing.

Number of people shorter than Daniel Radcliffe: 1. Spoiler Alert!!! It's Seamus. Dude turned out tiny.

Number of super awesome special effects: Trick question, all the effects are awesome.

Number of times I wished I was a wizard: continuously, throughout the entire film.

Is this movie as good as the books? No. Don't be silly. But I'd say it's one of the best films in the franchise. One segment in particular (it features Snape, but you'll get no more specifics from me) was wonderful. Alan Rickman, I officially revoke my opinion that you are too old to play Snape. I mean, you totally are, but you're super awesome, so I'll allow it.

So, the real reason I'm sad? The one-of-a-kind, shared Harry Potter experience is over. Sure, it's been different since the last book came out (I don't know if anything will ever top going to midnight book releases, then feverishly reading and obsessively discussing with other fans), but as long as we still had the movies to look forward to, that communal experience could go on, at least in part. Sure, we still have the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but that's a really expensive trip away. I sometimes envy kids who are just starting to read Harry Potter for the first time, because they have such a treat in store for them. But really, we're the lucky ones. We got to experience it as it happened, with our friends, and with perfect strangers that became friends through the magic of Harry Potter.

To conclude, I'll quote from my book review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Will there ever be another series like Harry Potter? I don't know. I hope so. But even if there isn't, we'll always have Harry Potter!

More Harry Potter, aka "I'm not sick of it yet, and you shouldn't be either!"

2011-07-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Besides, faithful readers, the last Harry Potter movie ever is coming out this week. I think that deserves celebrating/crying. Which is why my roommate Kate and I just had an excellent Harry Potter party at our house, called, appropriately, "End of an Era." Sniff. But this isn't a post about being sad. It's a post about being awesome!

First and foremost awesome: the food! As any good HP fan knows, the food described in Harry Potter sounds both magical and delicious. So we put on our aprons and slaved away like house elves to make some delicious snacks. We had the ever popular pumpkin pasties, cockcroach free (probably) cockcroach clusters, and licorice wands. We also had toad-in-the-hole, which was extremely popular, if only for the fact that it was our only snack not completely stuffed with sugar. Also, sausage is good. And of course, we had delicious beverages. The pumpkin juice was delightful (I keep drinking the leftovers), and the Butterbeer was so rich and delicious that one diabetic guest had to take insulin after drinking it. Good times. I'm not sure that it was as good as the Butterbeer we got at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but this was our first time making it. We shall persevere! But not too soon. The Butterbeer hangover is unpleasant.

Finally, a chance to reuse my Butterbeer mug!

Mmmm...Snacks...

Second and probably even more awesome: the costumes! We had a lot of muggles show up to the shindig, which was a little lame, but the people who did dress up brought it! And of course, since it was a contest that I was determined to win, I think you'll be pleased to know that I came in...second. But the girl who won was very deserving. I voted for her. Plus, I think I'm still the real winner, because I got the awesome lion hat.

Dobby (Sabrina) is a free elf! Behold the winner.

It's Cho Chang (Nella), y'all! Most authentic costume?

Professor Trelawney(Jessie)! She did not tell any weird fortunes. Unfortunately.

Madam Rosmerta (Kate) is sassy! And she's the best cook in the ward!

Harry Potter (Zefron) and Hedwig. Can you believe no one else dressed as Harry? Also, note his yellow eyebrow, a joke that not a single other person there understood.

Yours truly as Luna Lovegood! I will probably not wear this hat to the movie. It's a bit too tall. And warm.

Look at all those muggles! It's shocking! And these were just the early arrivals!

Third, and pretty awesome: we watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. That's mostly so we'll be totally ready this Friday to watch the final film installment. Sniff.

Last, and most awesome of all: We are popular! We had more than 20 people come to our party (more than attended the ward activity earlier in the day. Sorry, ward! I couldn't come because I was working!). But the really amazing thing was how many of the people were not even Harry Potter fans. They are, of course, crazy. But the point is, these people who have never read the books (or only read 1) and only seen 1 or 2 of the films still totally wanted to hang out with us. Because we're cool. Yeah, we make this look good!

Group shot!

Back row, L-R: Madam Rosmerta, Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter, Professor Trelawney, Cho Chang

Front row, L-R: Hedwig, Dobby

I'm in a rage! This is the maddest I've ever been!

2011-06-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

Slight exaggeration, I suppose, but only slight! True story-this week I was planning on blogging about my summer obsession, So You Think You Can Dance. I would mention how much I love certain competitors past (call me, Pasha!), how many times I voted for Robert last season (so, so many), and my girl crush on Cat Deeley. We would be great friends, I just know it! And she would take me shopping, and we'd be super happy together! As best friends.

But last night, the unthinkable happened: my favorite dancer of the season got booted from the show. NOOOOOOOO!!!!! Nick, I love you! How did this happen???? So early in the season? After I already declared my undying love and devotion to you on Facebook? Sniff. Now I'm sad. I'm sure that I'll keep watching this season, because it really is my raison d'etre in the summer, but I am not happy. All I can say is "Boo! Hiss!" to America for not voting for Nick (how could you, America? I thought we were friends!). And to the judges who made the final call--I can't even. Ugh. You make me sick!

Sniff. Again. Look how cute, tall, and charming he was. To reiterate: I am most seriously displeased.

ABC Autobiography

2011-06-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

Some kids who come to the library had to do this for school, and I thought it sounded both fun and time consuming. Plus, they kept complaining about how hard it was, and I made fun of them, so I figured I ought to give it a shot. Here I go!

A-Aunt. I love being an aunt! I'm related to the cutest kids in the world, and at the end of the day, I get to give them back to their loving parents. It's the best of both worlds.

B-Blind-At a recent trip to the eye doctor, the people made fun of my crazy prescription. Rude. But yeah, it's really strong.

C-Church-I don't just go on Sundays! I don't blog about church often, but it's the most important thing in my life.

D-Dogs-I wants one!

E-Eileen-My middle name, inherited from both Mom and Grandma. If I ever have a daughter (fingers crossed!), she will also get this middle name.

F-Fish-The only pet that I personally have ever owned. I miss you, Dexter!

G-Gorillas-My favorite animal. For a little while, I wanted to be a gorilla scientist! But I didn't want to live in the jungle.

H-Harry Potter-I have blogged about this often, so you guys know how much I love HP.

I-Internet-The thing that makes blogging possible.

J-Jam-I really like that reduced sugar kind. It's kind of tart, and the color is less weird.

K-Kickball-It starts with K. I don't really like playing it.

L-Librarian-It's my profession. And, oddly enough, the profession of many, many people that I know.

M-Meredith-Yay me!

N-Nedric-My car. Mostly I just call him Ned.

O-October-Only the best month to be born in.

P-Pink-My favorite color for most of my life, although now I'm not sure that I have a preference. I might like red.

Q-Quiet! I say this a lot as part of my profession.

R-Reading-My favorite hobby, which led to my profession.

S-Sisters-I have a lot, and they're all great! I always feel bad for people who don't have sisters.

T-Twins (like us)-Chelsea! My favorite twin! We have so much fun together, it's always kind of hard to remember that we don't get to see each other very often. Sob! If only someone would invent instantaneous molecular transport!

U-Utah! Best. State. Evah!!!1!11!

V-Victory! V as in Victory! A common phrase in our family.

W-Watching TV-I was going to lie, but this is an autobiography, and I really like doing this activity.

X-X-ray. When I broke my arm when I was 7, I distinctly remember that the x-ray technician was missing 2 fingers on one of her hands. Kind of like Fingerless Steve.

Y-Yo-Yo Ma-I wanted to say something about playing the cello and the piano, and this is how I fit it in.

Z-Zefron-My roommate, and the star of only the best trilogy ever made, High School Musical.

Well, if you're still reading, I admire you. And I feel really bad for making fun of those kids. This was super hard. It took me several weeks to finish, and as you can see, I'm really reaching with a few of these letters. I think they had to put in pictures too, but I am not that ambitious. Anyhow, there you have it. Me!

I'm a Travelin' Fool, Part 2: Fool in the Big City!

2011-05-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Week 2! During week 2 of my traveling adventures, I went to New York City with Kate, Niki, and Elizabeth. I had never been to New York before, because when you live in Utah, it's really, really far away. But when you live in Baltimore, it only takes 3.5 hours to get to the city on the bus. Craziness! That's like driving to Cedar City! So after getting really cheap bus tickets ($20 round trip, yo), we decided to head to the Big Apple.

The first thing that happened when we got there-Mom called! She sounded very worried that we would die, so I called her several times throughout the day to reassure her. Our adventures started right away. We were staying with Elizabeth's friend in Brooklyn, so we hopped on the subway to get there.

Here we are, riding the subway. It's kinda gross.

We actually rode on the subway 6 or 7 times during the trip. It's super confusing, and I would not trust myself to navigate it without help. On the bright side though, the pricing is really easy and pretty darn cheap, which you can definitely not say for the metro in DC.

Our next adventure was eating lunch at a diner, which was only notable because I still had my big bag with me, and literally as soon as we stepped into the diner, I accidentally knocked over a man's drink with my luggage. It was super embarrassing. Luckily, while I was still apologizing and feeling much shame, the restaurant staff ran over with paper towels and a mop to clean it up, plus a fresh drink for the man. He was really nice, too. The food was delicious too, so that's a bonus.

Then we decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Brooklyn!!! Niki and I may have serenaded the group with some songs, Newsies style.

It's a fine life, carrying the banner!

Photographic evidence that I called Mom while crossing the Brooklyn Bridge!

Brooklyn!!!

The real reason we went to New York so soon after our previous weekend trip was Harry Potter: the Exhibition at Discovery Times Square. It's basically a super cool museum with actual props from the actual Harry Potter movies! And it's only in New York until September, so we had to get on it quick! There's no photography allowed in the exhibition (drat!), so I'll just have to tell you that it was awesome. I really liked seeing things up close. I think my favorite was seeing the clothes from the Yule Ball. Cho Chang's dress is amazing, y'all. I wants it! It was amazingly gorgeous in person. And Ron's dress robes are way more hideous that I had imagined. Yikes. I loved seeing how tiny the kids were (are), especially in their clothes from Year 1. I really loved seeing all of the Death Eater stuff. It seems sick (and it is), but seeing the detail up close makes the Death Eater soooooo scary! It's amazing how much fantastic craftsmanship there is in the props, especially since you can't see most of it onscreen. Since we couldn't take any pictures, here's a link to an article from Entertainment Weekly (journalists could totally take pictures). And yeah, this is basically what it was like. If you have to choose between this and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I'd go Wizarding World, but this was cheaper, and if you're in NYC, it's definitely worth a look.

The only picture we took of HP.

The next thing we did in New York was see Wonderland on Broadway! It actually closed the night after we went (sad). And apparently, in the last show, the guy who played Jack (the main guy) totally proposed to the lady who played Alice! So sweet! Of course, the night we were there, that did not happen. In fact, Alice was played by the understudy that night, so it probably would have been awkward for Jack to propose to her. Still, it's a nice story. Anywho, it was a very funny musical, and we had a great time. It's not as good as Wicked, which Kate and I saw in Florida, but I'd still say it's worth seeing if you ever get the chance. Honestly, the "One Knight" song alone was worth the price of admission. So funny.

The view in Times Square after we left Wonderland.

Then we wandered around Times Square, basically trying to avoid having seizures or getting trampled. It's insane. And we bought super expensive but delicious cheesecake.

We're tourists!

Niki is not a tourist. Look how cool she is!

The important lesson I learned on our first day in New York: Almost nowhere in the city has drinking fountains, so take a water bottle. Dehydration is not your friend!

Sunday morning we went to church. We attended the ward that meets in the same building as the temple. I'm pretty sure at least half of the people there were visitors. I wonder if it's like that every week. Obviously, we didn't go the actual temple, since it was a Sunday, but the building is very pretty, and it was definitely cool to see the Angel Moroni up there when we got off the subway.

It's not really that tall, but it's hard to get a distance shot because of all the other tall stuff.

The reason we went to church at the temple ward is because the temple is right by Central Park! After church, we wandered around the park for a couple of hours. It's ginormous! I got very tired of walking, and we only saw a little portion of the park. It was a gray, foggy day, the kind that makes everything look beautiful and a little surreal. It also made everything look super green.

It's a city, and it's a park! Amazing!

Famous fountain.

Apparently, this is a super famous fountain that has starred in many movies. For me, this was a nod and smile while thinking, "Which movies? Why am I so ignorant?!?!?" I guess it looks kind of familiar. I need to watch a bunch of New York City movies now until I figure it out.

Me and my lizard purse in Central Park.

Then it was time to catch our bus back to Baltimore. We were in New York for about 25 hours, and we did a lot of things! But there was a lot that we talked about doing that we just couldn't fit in, so I guess I'll have to go back sometime. For now, though, I'm staying put. Being a travelin' fool makes me tired.

I'm a travelin' fool! Part 1

2011-05-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

Family and friends, for the last two weeks, instead of being totally lame and doing my customary nothing for the weekend, I took trips! That's right, trips. Plural. Week 1, also known as Mother's Day Weekend, I went with my roommate, her sister, and two friends to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA, the "Most Beautiful Amusement Park in the World." I'm not sure who awarded Busch Gardens this high honor. Amusement park connoisseurs? Beauty experts? A survey of disgruntled former Six Flags employees? No matter-it really is very pretty, and has some excellent roller coasters. It also has some terrifying roller coasters, including one that I refused to ride all together. Instead, I went to see the Secret Lives of Predators show with the only male person in our group (they had wolves! and a super cute fox. When it came out, everyone said, "Aw!). I'm pretty sure we enjoyed the predators and a funnel cake more than the others could possibly have enjoyed looking death in the face and then having a heart attack on the way down.

Anywhos, as illustrated by the previous comment, the most fun part of Busch Gardens was the shows! We saw a really excellent Irish dance show, which included a sweet dance battle between some Irish dancers and some tap dancers, as well as some fantastic drinking songs. The lady sitting in front of us really took the drinking songs to heart-she was literally falling over drunk during the show. Good times!

Another fun show took place in the Festhaus, where we ate lunch (everyone but me got sausage. I got the turkey sandwich, which was delicious, and had the added benefit of at least seeming healthy). During our lunch, a band came out, as well as some nice boys in lederhosen and girls in whatever the name is for the female equivalent of lederhosen. They danced and sang (some drinking songs). And then the piece de resistance:

Yes, that is in fact moi, dancing the polka with a man wearing lederhosen. Never let it be said that Meredith is a party pooper! Nay, Meredith is awesome! This lovely picture is the only evidence (aside from eye witness reports) that said dance ever occurred. Christian, the photographer, apparently tried to take video, but the fates smiled upon me, and it didn't work. Huzzah. Honestly, compared with this, everything else that happened on this trip seems a little bit anticlimactic. So here is where I will leave you.

Until Part 2!

Edited to Add: Some Doubting Chelseas on Facebook seemed skeptical that this was me. It is most certainly me! Here's what happened. As I was innocently enjoyed the aforementioned turkey sandwich, the lederhosened came into the crowd to polka with audience members. Mostly very small children. And one or two super foxy grownups. So lederhosen man comes up to me and says, "Do you want to dance with me?" Me: "Um..." My friends: "Do it!!!" Me: "I will destroy your lives!!!" Polka, polka, polka, the rest is history.

Top 10 Literary Ladies I Love

2011-04-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

It's time to give some love to the ladies! The rules are the same, except that instead of wanting to marry these characters, and I want to be their best friends for life. Their BFFs if you will. So, without further ado, the female edition of book characters that I love with freakish devotion.

1. Cathy from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Just kidding. She crazy! But it's nice to start out with a joke, yes?

For reals, this time:
1. D.J. Schwenk from the Dairy Queen trilogy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. I love you D.J.! True story, people: While reading these books, I wanted to move to Wisconsin, de-age myself to high school, and become D.J.'s best friend. She rocks so hard, and her life is totally suck, so she really needs me! We have nothing in common (she loves football, lives/works on a dairy farm, is super tough, and doesn't talk much), but I love her anyway. I don't know what else to say about this awesome lady. D.J., I am hugging you with my mind, right now.

2. Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The older I get, the more I appreciate Jane. She has so much self-respect! And she's so strong. Sister Dibb (President Monson's daughter) talked about Jane in her talk from the recent Young Women's Conference, which I highly recommend. She honestly says what I feel about Jane more eloquently than I ever could, so I will wait here while you read it. http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/i-believe-in-being-honest-and-true?lang=eng

3. Sophie Hatter from Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. In the interest of not spoiling anything, something happens to dear Sophie near the beginning of the book that would probably pretty much ruin anyone else's life. But instead of getting down about it, Sophie becomes awesome, hilarious, and totally brave. Plus, it's such fun to read about her relationship with Howl.

4. Vesper Holly from the Vesper Holly books by Lloyd Alexander. Vesper Holly, why are you so much cooler than I am? More than anyone else, Vesper Holly (I always use both of her names. It sounds better) made me wish that I could travel the world and have fantastic, dangerous adventures when I was in elementary school. I haven't read her in years, but I always think of her fondly, and wish that my life were a little more thrilling.

5. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Frizzy hair? Check. Annoying and bossy? Check. Super smart? Um, we'll give it a check for being smarter than Harry and Ron but not as devoted to smartness as Hermione. Let's be honest. I totally identify with Hermione. How awesome is it for a series to have a smart, not that pretty heroine? Way awesome. Plus, she gets famous Quidditch players, Cormac McLaggen, and a redhead to fall in love with her! High five, Hermione.

6. Enola Holmes from The Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer. Like her much older brother Sherlock, Enola loves a good mystery. And she's pretty excellent at solving a good mystery, too. Plus, she's super brave, comes up with ingenious disguises, and is a lot nicer than her backwards brothers. Every time Enola gets the better of one of them, I do a little victory dance, because I know she's too mature to do one herself.

7. Dashti from Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. I love Shannon Hale's books, and I knew I had to pick one of her ladies for this list. But which one? Rapunzel? Miri? It was a close call, but in the end, Dashti was the winner. Probably because I really would have read her diary of seven years locked in a tower, and then seven more out. And it wouldn't have been a chore.

8. Creel from the Dragon Slippers trilogy by Jessica Day George. Creel is brave ( I like that in a girl), crafty (she embroiders like a champ), funny, and is friends with DRAGONS!!! And a cute prince, but that's neither here nor there (yeah right). Friends with DRAGONS, people. And she's totally awesome enough to be friends with DRAGONS. Which is obviously pretty darn awesome.

9. Anastasia Krupnik from the Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry. Every time I read a book about Anastasia, I'm amazed at how much I can laugh at her and also recognize my 4th grade self in her. She's like every woman! Love her forever.

10. Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. What I like most about Mary: she grows (kind of like the Secret Garden!). She starts off being selfish, whiny, and totally unlikable, but she becomes fun, strong, friendly, and sweet. Plus, she's friends with Dickon, which is pretty much as awesome as being friends with DRAGONS.

Honorable Mentions:
The Penderwick sisters from The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall. This makes me think that maybe I should have included Jeffrey in my boy list. Anywho, I love these girls. If I had to choose a favorite, it would probably be Skye, because I think she's so misunderstood, plus she makes me laugh. But then I'd look over and see poor, dramatic Jane, and Rosalind, who's grown up waaaaay too fast and is still immature anyway, and little Batty with Hound and the fairy wings, and I think my heart just couldn't take it. So I love them all, and we'll leave it at that.

Top 10 Literary Lads I Love

2011-04-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

I recently read this on another blog and thought it was such a good idea. These aren't my most favorite book guys of all time. It's probably just the ones I can think of right now. My version of the rules: They're all from books! They can be in movies as well, but only if my loving them is because of the book, not just the movie portrayal. Some are ones that I love, like want to marry love. Some are just ones that I want to hug. You have no idea how hard it was to limit this to 10. I am filled with love apparently. Without further ado, and in no particular order, my list of totally lovable man/boy characters in literature!

1. Dickon from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. He's the first literary crush that I remember having. He can talk to animals!!! He can make things grow! He likes Mary even though she is contrary! He practically lives on the moor! I always suspected that Mary and Dickon would end up getting married, because only a fool would let Dickon get away. And whatever you say about Mary, you cannot truthfully say that she's a fool.

2. Howl from Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Not exactly sure why I love him so much. He's definitely stuck up. A narcissist. Throws spectacular temper tantrums. Delights in being troublesome. But he's just so darn charming, and you know that underneath it all he has a heart of gold! And a magical fire. Although Calcifer isn't underneath it all. You know what I mean.

3. The Weasley Twins from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. This is a bit of a cheat, since there are two of them. But I honestly love them so much as a pair, and darn it all, it's my list. It's like what Harry said in Order of the Phoenix, when he finds out a bit more about his dad and Sirius, and how they were actually not very nice boys once upon a time. He had always just assumed they were like the Weasley twins: hilarious, mischievous, brave, ingenious, but never mean spirited. That's a rare thing in a funny character who is always pulling pranks. But it's true of our dear Fred and George. They are not mean. And they have a lot of flair. Remember when they left Hogwarts? One broom trailing a chain? LOVE THEM.

4. Eugenides from The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. What to say about Gen? He's a whiner. He's a drama queen. He's a thief. He's stubborn to a fault. He does his best to drive everyone around him ccrazy, and he almost always succeeds because he's just that talented. But I love him! Could there be a more fascinating person to read about? As one of the other characters points out, he always wins. He suffers setbacks so intense they would probably kill someone else, but in the end, Gen always comes out on top. It's seeing how he gets there (and what he considers the top) that is just so darn wonderful. Hidden depths, that's Eugenides.

5. Percy Jackson from Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. He gives up the chance of immortality because of a girl! Ack! So wonderful. Plus, he's hilarious and a really good swimmer. And he's always risking his life for his friends (and the rest of humanity).

6. Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I really, really wanted to marry Ponyboy when I was first read this book. Of course, since he wasn't real, I decided I would marry the guy who played Ponyboy in the movie. But then I found out that the movie came out the year I was born, so the guy who played Ponyboy was old. Sigh. After that, I thought I would name my first child Ponyboy! Let's just say, it's a good thing that I didn't marry super young and have a kid right away. Because any child that wasn't also a juvenile deliquent would be destroyed for being named Ponyboy.

7. Marcelo Sandoval from Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. I've mentioned it here before, but it bears repeating: Marcelo is perhaps my favorite literary guy ever! I love him! I want to protect him from all the evil in the world. But the best thing about Marcelo is that he always does the right thing. He doesn't need to be protected. He sees terrible stuff all around, and he becomes stronger and more awesome than ever.

8. Peeta from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I know, I know. Everyone loves Peeta. Personally, I love him because he bakes. Also, he's charming, and super brave, and way gentle and never wanted to hurt anyone!!! He did it all for Katniss!!! He's just so freakin' good.

9. Finn from The Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale. In the first book, I really, really wanted Isi and Finn to get together. I knew they wouldn't. That would have been crazy. Crazy like a fox. And then when it became apparent that Finn was really into Enna, I spent a lot of energy trying to convince the fake person in my book that he deserved better. Sigh. But he never listened. Chivalry is not dead, y'all. It lives in Finn.

10. Luka from Dragon Slippers and sequels by Jessica Day George. He's a super dreamy prince who's totally down to earth, brave, funny, etc. Plus, he pretty much immediately crushes on our girl Creel, which shows that he has good taste.

Honorable Mentions: (I couldn't really just pick 10, but I tried really hard. And considering the problems I was having with numbering, it's entirely possible that the above list doesn't have 10 people on it anyway. Technical difficulties!)

Matt Cruse from Airborn and sequels by Kenneth Oppel. Is there a sweeter (fictional) teenage boy in the world than Matt? Not that I've met! He's so loyal! He supports women's rights! And even though his love interest is totally annoying much of the time, he loves her anyway. But he's also really manly! He's out there exploring, fighting pirates, jumping out of airships, and doing all manner of heroics. Honestly, I suspect that he's as appealing to boys as he is to girls. Maybe more! But really, he always says and does the sweetest things, and I just can't take it! Must. Hug. Him.

Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This is kind of a given. But what honestly ups the swoon for Mr. Darcy is that it's a collective swoon! Once I was in a class (of all girls, not uncommon in my field), and someone mentioned Mr. Darcy. Literally every person in the room sighed. Collective swoon. It's a powerful thing.

Why You're jealous and I'm Sad

2011-03-16T13:05:00.013-07:00

I have been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! And now I'm home (that's the sad part). For a true Harry Potter fan like me, this was beyond thrilling.

To Hogwarts!

My journey starts with a trip to Orlando, FL where the Wizarding World of Harry Potter exists inside Universal Studios. Alas, my journey does not include a portkey, flu powder, apparating, or even the Hogwarts Express. It is a bit more mundane. I fly. In an airplane-probably a bit too far to fly on a broomstick.

How I wish I'd gotten to Florida.

When I get to the park, there's a bit of torture: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is so far in, I can't see it! But around the time when I'm in Seuss Landing, it happens. I look up, and I see Hogwarts, rising above the park. I won't lie, I have chills. And then I squeal like a little girl and set off with even greater haste towards Hogsmeade. I want to run, but it seems undignified, and my roommate, Kate, whose idea the whole trip was, doesn't seem amenable to it.

Please Respect the Spell Limits while in Hogsmeade.

Entering Hogsmeade is truly like entering another world. The Hogwarts Express is there, newly arrived from Platform 9 3/4. Zonko's and Honeydukes are nearby. Look in the window, and a chocolate frog moves. A few storefronts down, I see and hear (it's pretty horrifying and totally unsafe) an unpotted Mandrake. Good thing it's still a baby! In the window of Madam Malkin's, I'm convinced that I see Hermione's dress from the Yule Ball, as well as some dress robes (not Ron's, as there is neither mold nor lace). In line for the Dragon Challenge, a truly excellent rollercoaster, I spot the Weasley's flying Ford Anglia, no longer flying. Later on, the Goblet of Fire makes an appearance, as does the Triwizard Cup. From a distance, I see students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, and everywhere are the residents of both Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Among the Hogwarts residents are the Frog Choir, singing Double Trouble, my personal favorite song from Prisoner of Azkaban.

Those are my trunks, I swear!

What this picture doesn't accurately portray is the billions of people in Hogsmeade.

I don't eat things that are still moving!

I could have used this when I saw Aragog!

Is that Dean Thomas? I didn't know he could sing!

Lunch is at the Three Broomsticks (I know, right?). Things I now know: Cornish Pasties are delicious, and Butterbeer (non-alcoholic, no worries) is to die for. Outside, a moving poster warns about escaped prisoner, Sirius Black. As I'm pretty sure no one has ever escaped from Azkaban before, this is troublesome. However, the day passes with no sightings of him. What I do spot, however: Buckbeak, chained outside Hagrid's Hut! Note to Hagrid-next time leave your Norwegian Ridgeback crate inside the house! Literally everywhere I look, there's something amazing to see. And over it all looms Hogwarts.

Mmmm...Butterbeer.

That's Sirius, honest.

Is Buckbeak a boy or a girl? We had a debate.

Note the giant pumpkin.

As awesome as everything else is, the piece de resistance is Hogwarts. Everyone else knows it too, because the line to get in is at least an hour long, starting in Jurassic Park and at one point winding out through a gate into an employees only area. It's not too bad, though, because 1) we can see all the poor saps behind us in line, 2) even though the line is freakishly long, it never stops moving for long, and 3) we can people-watch everyone else in the crowd. A few turns ahead of us are a mother/daughter who both are wearing super cute HP sweatshirts. I end up buying the same one as the daughter. Directly in front of us are a girl (big HP fan) and her boyfriend (non-fan). She keeps telling him how awesome it is, and saying, "Now don't you want to read the books?" He seems at least partially convinced. Do it, boyfriend! You won't be sorry! My personal favorite is a guy about a turn ahead of us in the super twisty line who looks like an adult Harry Potter. He's there with two little twin boys who are extremely unenthusiastic about waiting in the line. But he looks like Harry! That's got to make him feel better. I wish we'd gotten a picture of him, but that seemed a little creepy, so we didn't do it.

Hogwarts as seen from Jurassic Park.

After an hour outside, I finally enter Hogwarts. After about 20 minutes inside, I reach the end of the line and the ride, but even without the ride, the time inside would be worth it. I pass the House hourglasses, showing the current standings for House Cup. Gryffindor is winning. I pass through Dumbledore's office, and he talks to me. In the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Ron accidentally makes it snow before he, Harry, and Hermione disappear beneath Harry's invisibility cloak. In the hall, moving portraits talk to me and move through the frames to visit other pictures. Before I enter the Gryffindor common room, the Fat Lady asks for the password. And the sorting hat gives out sage advice about safety. I don't mind telling you that I'm giddy beyond words the entire time.

Come on, Hufflepuff! This is your year!

Lemondrop!

Luckily, the ride at the end of the tour is just as amazing. I fly through a Quidditch game (Malfoy taunts me. He's so mean!), into the Chamber of Secrets (luckily the basilisk is just a skeleton now), into the forbidden forest to see Aragog and the acromantulas (I'm pretty sure one spits some gross spider stuff at me), escape from a dragon's fire (I felt the heat!), and I'm saved from a whole group of dementors by Harry himself. In the end, the entire school is cheering for me and my successful journey. It's magic. There's no other way to describe it.

Magic!

When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released, I cried. I was so sad that it was over. But through the enthusiasm of fans, Harry Potter lives on. To see all of those fans together, in a place that works so hard to recreate the magic that first drew us all to Harry Potter, was one of the most thrilling things I've ever seen. A true gift to any fan of Harry Potter. And to the non-fans: What are you waiting for? Magic and adventure are at your fingertips, and you don't have to travel to Orlando to find them. All you have to do is open a book.

Today's daily affirmation brought to you by...

2011-02-24T14:26:00.000-08:00

The Dentist! You may recall my last post about the dentist (I was bitter about some necessary dental work that was not caused by a lack of good oral hygiene). I visited the dentist again today, and I was a little nervous, especially since I just dropped a wad of cash on a new laptop and a vacation to Florida (Woo! Spring Break! Woo!). I only have so many (2) wads of cash to drop on things. I have no more!

So imagine my delight when my dentist, as he was doing some sort of super painful power wash thing of my gums, kept saying, "This looks so good. You're doing a great job!" At the end of the appointment, he always does a dentist/patient chat, which I find super endearing. It feels like nice, old-timey dentistry, except with sterile instruments, new-fangled tooth technology, and modern pain medication. And he said again that I was doing a great job and looked really good.

Sure, he was talking about my teeth. But all day I've been looking in the mirror, smiling (taking advantage of the nice teeth) and thinking, "I'm doing a great job! I look really good!" The dentist was totally my new age feel-goodery today! Pretty awesome.

Now I'm passing it on to you: You're doing a great job! You look really good!

Make sure you floss.

Your heat is out: a cold person's guide to staying warm

2011-02-14T11:39:00.000-08:00

It's true, internet. Sometime on Friday night the heat in my house stopped working. I noticed this on Saturday morning when I woke up cold. The bad news: because of the timing and the part that was broken (the computer something something, I believe), the repair guy couldn't fix the heat until at least Monday! The OK news: it was "warm" this weekend, with highs in the 40s! The (hopefully) good news: when I left my house this morning, the repair man was hard at work. I hope it's warm and toasty when I get back!

Let's say this (heaven forbid) happens to you. What should you do? Luckily, I have compiled this handy guide to survival.*

1. Your space heater is your friend. People may laugh as you cart your space heater from room to room, up and down 3 flights of stairs, but they're just jealous that they don't have that kind of upper body strength.

2. Wear thick-soled slippers. You do not want your bare feet to touch the floor. Especially if you have tile.

3. Do laundry. Don't let your clothes go through the entire cool down phase, and then pile the warm stuff on. Ahhhh.

4. Blankets! It seems obvious, but a blanket cocoon is essential (and stylish).

5. Bake stuff. The oven is warm! You want to be warm! Just don't burn yourself, because it won't make you feel better.

This stuff works, yo. I have survived the lack of heat! Seriously though, it best be working when I get home. My arms hurt from all that space heater toting.

*Note for people as cold as Mom--check into a hotel. It's the only option.

New year, new me?

2011-01-15T12:11:00.000-08:00

Well, no. I'm pretty pleased with my life so far, but it is traditional to make some resolutions at this time of year, so here I go.

1. Stop procrastinating! For example, publish New Year's post before the month is half over.

2. Get hobbies. Besides reading and watching the telly. Not that those are bad hobbies. I really like both of them! But maybe I should diversify. I could start playing my cello more. I could sew beautiful dresses with all of my patterns that I have. I could learn Spanish. Gardening. Write a novel. This could be the year I finally learn how to swim! I'll never know unless I start getting more hobbies.

3. Become more stretchy. I can touch my toes (impressive, no?), but this year I could learn to do the splits! Probably not (if that was going to happen, it would have happened already).

4. Read all my church assignments during the week so I know what's going on in RS and Sunday School. I have this goal every year, and every year it seems like I mess it up. But this is my year! I can feel it!

5. Cook more. I'd like to start making actual meals at least twice a week. I eat a lot of sandwiches. And I love sandwiches, but there should be more to life than just sandwiches!

6. Be more ambitious. Seriously, only 4 real goals, and I'm already feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm not sure how to accomplish this one, but I'll do it!

7. Last but not least, use fewer exclamation points. I seem ridiculously enthusiastic about some of these things.

What about you? Any good resolutions this year?

The 12 Gifts of Pop Culture Santa

2010-12-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

No secret, faithful blog readers: I am a bit of a pop culture junky (a word which spell check does not acknowledge, oddly enough). And Pop Culture Santa has been good to me this year. So, to spread some Christmas cheer, I present the 12 gifts of Pop Culture Santa (I was going to dole one out each day for 12 days...but that seemed like a lot of work).

1. Caroline Forbes, aka Vampire Barbie, The Vampire Diaries. How did a super annoying, super needy, kinda bratty cheerleader become the absolute most awesome thing on an already addictively awesome show? By becoming a vampire. Normally the kiss of death (ha!) on this show, Caroline has become an undead sensation! Seriously, I'm considering naming some kids after her.

2. We Are in a Book by Mo Willems. Gerald and Piggie are back, and this time, things are getting weird. The two friends realize that they're actually part of a book! That someone is reading! Right now! The inevitable stages (fear, panic, messing with the reader) occur, and they're sublime.

3. Zachary Levi's new haircut, Chuck. I approve!

Sure, he's kind of a hairy beast in this picture, but focus on his hair! High five, Chuck's new hair!

4. Cake Wrecks Guaranteed to cause inappropriate amounts of giggling at work!

5. Avatar: The Last Airbender, not to be confused with Avatar or The Last Airbender. I'm talking about the cartoon that lasted 3 awesome seasons and inspired the not so awesome movie, The Last Airbender (what does Avatar have to do with this? Nothing). Funny, exciting, touching, with some excellent voice work and plobnrg art. Watch it, folks. It's the quenchiest thing I've seen in a long time.

6. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I loved every sentence of the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy. Plus, now I don't have to keep wondering what's going to happen!

7. Troy and Abed in the Morning. If this fake morning show from Community was actually shown on TV every morning, I'd get up and watch it. That's how serious I am. And how awesome it is.

8. Bollywood. Not a genre that I had previously watched, but it's pretty fantastic. The colors, the clothes, the music, the dancing. The guys who look like this, singing and dancing. What's not to love?

This is Shahrukh Khan, super prolific (and dreamy) Bollywood actor.

9. Forever Young Adult Another guaranteed to make you laugh at work. But this time I can justify it as professional development! You probably can't, but hey, I don't know your life. Warning: some of the writer for FYA are...swear-heads. Be vigilant!

10. Zachary Levi's singing voice (as heard in Tangled and that song he sings with Katharine McPhee). Seriously, could I love him any more? He's tall, charming, funny, has that great new haircut (see #3), is cuter than a basket full of puppies, and he sings!

11. Frankenstein by Rick Walton with pictures by the illustrious (ha!) Nathan Hale. Good news/bad news: The bad is that this most excellent parody of Madeline is no longer available online. The good news: that probably means someone wants to publish it! Huzzah!

12. Jane Austen Fight Club. If only this were a real thing. But perhaps it's more magical in snippet form.

13. Robert Roldan, So You Think You Can Dance. Haters be gone! Robert is the business! He kept me running home two nights a week all summer long. He's adorable, he loves his mom, he dances like a fiend (in a good way), and he has that hair. Ack! That hair! Plus, this pictures cracks me up.

Well, there you have it! I know what you're thinking: "Wait, that's 13 things!" I never claimed to be an expert at maths. But I can alphabetize with the best of them. Plus, I couldn't bear to cut any of these little gems out.

Merry Christmas!!! Love,
Your own Pop Culture Santa

Sing it, Bing!

2010-11-23T11:21:00.000-08:00

In honor of one of my favorite holidays, a few things I'm thankful for this year.

1. A job! Aren't we all, right? But this year, I'm especially grateful for a job that I (usually) like with people who are fun and nice.

2. Having my car registered in MD!!! Getting it done was annoying, painful, and time-consuming, and it made me question the sanity of the people running our fair state. So mostly, I'm thankful that it's done.

3. Pie. This is self-explanatory.

4. Friends. Also pretty self-explanatory, but still true. I'm always amazed that I have friends all over the country! Not that I'm so popular, just that people are cool!

5. Family. So far this year, I've gotten to see almost everyone, whether they've come here or I've gone there. And in another month, I'll get to see a whole bunch of the family for Christmas! Yay! I'm also grateful that Maren, David, and Grace live so close by!

6. Church. I've just started a stressful calling, but it's actually kind of awesome. Plus, without church, I'd have far fewer of # 4.

7. Harry Potter! I know I've talked about it before, but seriously, y'all HP is back and better than ever! Except for the books, of course. The books are still better than the movies could ever hope to be, but I enjoyed The Deathly Hallows-Part 1 immensely.

Take it away, Bing Crosby!

Revisiting the hallowed halls and sacred tv shows of my childhood

2010-11-04T13:48:00.001-07:00

Earlier this year, my friend Kelly and I were talking about our awesome childhood's in the 90s. So of course, we ended up talking about Ghostwriter. For those of you not in the know, Ghostwriter was a mystery show for kids that was on PBS from 1992-1995. It's about 5 (or 6) kids and their "friend" who we would now totally not trust because of excellent advice that we learned from Mr. Weasley-never trust something that thinks for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain! Luckily, we were then ignorant of this important magical rule. Also luckily, Ghostwriter really is a friend and not an evil product of dark magic.

After our talk, I found out something marvelous: Ghostwriter season 1 is out on DVD! Bazinga! So I took it upon myself to rewatch that season, to once again see if my childhood innocence could stand up to evil, nostalgia defeating reality. The results? See for yourself.

Let's talk characters. We'll start with Jamal. Oh, Sheldon Turnipseed. You have the most awesome last name ever! And your dad was played by Samuel L. Jackson in a couple of episodes. Street cred! Anywhoodle, Jamal is the first person to see Ghostwriter and also the one to utter the immortal line, "He's a ghost, and he writes to us! Ghostwriter!" In retrospect, Jamal tries waaaaay too hard sometimes to be cool, and it really seems like he might be overcompensating for something. What? I guess we'll never know, because the show has been off the air for 15 (!) years.

Next up, Lenni. I feel bad about this now, but before Kelly and I had our conversation, I didn't remember Lenni at all. She did not really leave much of an impression on me. But I have no idea why! Of the girls on the show, Lenni is by far the doofiest dresser. The sartorial horrors perpetrated by Lenni are now so firmly burned into my mind that I couldn't forget them if I wanted to (but I don't. It's much too funny to forget). Plus, Lenni is a rapper! Way hardcore.

Then we have Alex. Oh, Alex. So cute, and for a junior high student, quite the womanizer. All those penpals and all of them girls! And yet he's totally creeping on a 5th grader! Sure, Tina's smart, but she's still in elementary school! I think the warddrobe department must feel the same, because there's no other explanation for the fact that Alex finishes neck and neck with Lenni in the doofy outfits competetion. His aren't necessarily as fundamentally hideous as hers, but they look more like the warddrobe of a middle aged cat lady than a cool, confident ladies' man (boy).

Keeping it all in the family, let's visit Gaby! My favorite character for most of the series, in large part because she's pretty much the best actress. She's able to pull off dorky (witness her desperation to star in Tina's videos) and cool (then see her totally dominate when she and Tina do their anti-violence dance), as well as the fine balancing act of bratty but ultimately caring sister to Alex. In all honesty, even though the untimely cancellation of Ghostwriter was a tragedy, in a way it was also a blessing, because it meant we only had to live through two mysteries worth of new Gaby, who was a poor substitution. I don't know why OG left, but I felt the sting of it even in elementary school.

On to Tina. In direct contrast to Lenni and Alex, Tina is by far the best dressed of the characters. Kids today might not be embarassed to be seen in some of Tina's outfits. Unfortunately, she's a terrible actress. Could not act her way out a paper box. Yikes. Still, she really is too cute, and I always admired her for getting an older boy to like her (one as cute as Alex, even!), so it evens out in the end.

Last, but certainly not least, we have Rob. Rob wasn't an original member of the Ghostwriter Team, nor did he make it all the way to the end of the series (his family moved to Australia in season 2-sad face), but I still thought he was dreamy. Next to Tina, Rob would definitely be least embarassed to be seen in today's society wearing his Ghostwriter outfits. Plus, he was a writer! And he was friends with homeless people! And could skateboard! And although he was a little bit sexist in that one episode, he totally changed his mind after being knocked out and tied up by a female stunt double. Seriously, such the crush on Rob.

Of course, we also have Grandma Jenkins, who is the lone grown-up in the cast. Now that I think about it, I think she and Alex might have been sharing a warddrobe (zing!!). Not really sure why she's a main character, since she doesn't appear to be in the show any more frequently than any of the other adults, but there you go.

And let's not forget Ghostwriter himself. He can't talk. He's not an alien. We think he might be a ghost! I always thought he looked like a snowball wearing a winter hat. I don't know who designed him, but that's awesome. Nonsensical, but awesome.

As for the rest of the show, the mysteries were reasonably clever, but easy enough that kids who paid attention had a chance of solving them along with the kids. The diversity of the cast is impressive, even if the acting isn't, and the very special episodes actually do address important topics that kids should be aware of. All in all, I know why I loved this show so much as a kid, and even though I mock now, I totally do it out of love. Thanks for the memories, Ghostwriter! And thanks for being still awesome enough to enjoy but also dorky enough to make fun of!

Pictured, from left: Alex, Tina, Jamal, Lenni, Gaby, and Rob. Ghostwriter's in the "O." See what I mean about the snowball and the hat?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2010-10-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

Love, Harry "Zefron" Potter, Mad-Eye "Pumpkin" Moody, and Meredith

Yeah, that's right: Skinny Jeans can kiss my foot!

2010-10-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

I think the cast of So Random with an assist from Chad Dylan Cooper said it best.

You can't deny it--they look pretty comfortable. And jaunty!

My Mouth Hurts

2010-09-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, I went to the dentist yesterday. I needed to get a crown replaced, which to my way of thinking is one of the worst things to have a dentist do. Here's why:

1. It's not my fault. If I had a cavity, it would probably be because I hadn't flossed enough or brushed enough. But I didn't put in my first crown, so the fact that it's faulty definitely lies with some sort of dental professional.

2. I have already paid for this crown! Twice. The first time, I had to get a root canal, and the second time, I had to get it glued back in because it fell out while I was eating fruit snacks (apparently, not good for crowns). The second time was relatively cheap, the first time was quite expensive, but either way, significant amounts of money have been shelled out on this tooth, and I am sick of it.

3. It still really hurts. No cavity or root canal, but I still had to get numbed up and drilled a bit. I tell you what, my mouth hurts a lot more today than it did yesterday before I went to the dentist.

4. Speaking of getting numbed up, I had stroke face for like 6 hours after I left the dentist yesterday. It was very undignified. And I could hardly eat. I had mashed potatoes and a milkshake for dinner! While I very much love both of those things, a dinner they are not.

So basically, I just spent a lot of money to have people do very unpleasant things to my mouth. Not cool, dentist. Not cool.

Speaking up

2010-09-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

I don't normally do this kind of post, because I'm not this kind of blogger. But I'm sad and mad, so I thought I'd share.

Last Christmas, I read the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. It's not the type of book I normally read (realistic fiction), and it's certainly not the type of book I normally read when I'm on vacation (depressing). But I had heard wonderful things and I wanted to try something new, so I picked it up. I wasn't sorry.

For those who haven't read it, spoilers: the main character in this book gets raped at a party right before she starts high school. What follows is heartbreaking, hilarious, frustrating, empowering, and hopeful by turns. It's the type of book you wish no one ever had to read (or write) because surely, nothing that terrible ever happens in the world. But let's be honest. The world is full of terrible things and terrible people. Luckily, the world is also full of wonderful things and wonderful people, including Laurie Halse Anderson, who wrote such a powerful book on such a tragic but important topic.

So why do I bring this up now? Because Wesley Scroggins (who?), an associate professor of management (what?) at Missouri State University, recently wrote an opinion piece in his local paper that refers to Speak as soft porn. Because of rape scenes. It's honestly hard for me to wrap my mind around this. Has he read the book? Does he know what rape is? Or porn? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, then my only conclusion is that he must be seriously disturbed. The original article is here, but be warned: don't read it if you don't want to be filled with righteous indignation.

Censorship is ugly, and it's happening right here in the USA. I firmly support people's right to read what they want. Or not read what they don't want. Have there been books that I've set down because the content bothered me? Of course! Lots! But I would never presume to say that a book that bothers me wouldn't be your new favorite or vice versa. So I'm speaking up (and planning a totally rockin' Banned Books Week display).

If I were a superhero, I'd be Mouse-Woman

2010-09-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

Or Mouse-Girl, I suppose, but that's offensive. As long time readers know, I am afraid of mice. No amount of rational thinking has been able to cure this. I know they're small. I know they're cute. I even like them in cartoons. Maybe if they wore little outfits in real life? But I think they are evil and creepy. So, imagine my horror when I discovered that my new library branch has at least 1 (but I'm thinking 2 is more realistic, since I've seen one upstairs and downstairs) mouse. Insert full-body shudder here. And not just any mice. These mice are crazy bold. C'mon, mice! What ever happened to being afraid of people?

You'll all be pleased to know, however, that I am much, much braver than I used to be. Although I have seen mice several times at the library, not once have I screamed, jumped up on my desk, and started shaking and crying. Progress! Once I did have to go outside and quietly freak out, but that's not too bad. Anywho, I still hope that we can someday get rid of the evil things. I'm thinking we should get a library cat. It would be cute (we could name it Patches!) and at least if I saw a mouse, I could say, "Well, that's Patch's lookout."

P.S. Bonus point to whoever knows what the title of this blog refers to.

My new favorites: the best books I've read this year (so far)

2010-08-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

I love books. I know, you'd never guess! But it's true! And in true share mode, here are some of my recent favs:

1. Marcelo in the Real World by Fransisco X. Stork. I can't think of another character in literature that I love as much as I love Marcelo. I can hardly think of people I know in real life that I love as much as I love Marcelo. Just kidding. Kind of. A teenager with Aspergers (or something similar), Marcelo has to learn how to function in "the real world" when his dad forces him to get a summer job at a law firm. Kind of heartbreaking as he learns just how terrible the real world can be, but totally and completely amazing, and ultimately hopeful.

Who should read it: older teens and adults. There's some bad language of the kind one unfortunately hears in the real world, but nothing gratuitous.

2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. I know, I know, I'm behind the times with these. But I really did read the series for the first time this year, and it blew my mind. Figuratively. A lot of Harry Potter comparisons have been made, which I can see in a way. After all, it is about a young boy who realizes that the world isn't quite what he always believed and that he has cool powers. And it's also awesome, which it has in common with HP. The movie version was a big disappointment, but this adventure series not only kept me breathless with excitement, but it made me want to learn more about Greek myths. Quite an accomplishment. Plus, I loved watching Percy and friends grow up.

Who should read it: Anyone who loves fantasy, adventures, and kids discovering their true potential.

3. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. What do I really need to say about this book? After all, it won the Newbery this year! But in case that's not enough to sway you, here's some more. There's mystery. And friendship. And $20,000 Pyramid. And it felt like a book that I might have read when I was in elementary school. By which I mean only good wonderful things. Can you feel nostalgic while reading a book you've never read, set in a decade before you were born? Apparently!

Who should read it: Everyone!!! Also, people who love A Wrinkle in Time, which gets referenced several time in the book.

4. Troll Fell and sequels by Katherine Langrish. An excellent example of the importance of good covers. I picked this book up on a whim because I liked the cover illustration, and I quickly devoured the trilogy because I loved the story. Peer and Hilde are likable, the setting is vivid, and the villains are creepy. The second book in particular gave me the creeps (in a good, kid-friendly way).

Who should read it: People who love folklore, especially of the Scandinavian variety. Vikings. Anyone who likes to shiver a bit when they read their fantasies.

5. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. A book about friendship, family, and growing up. I laughed out loud many times while reading it, and I fell in love with those darn Penderwick girls and Jeffrey. Another book that reminded me of my childhood. I would not be surprised to learn that I read and loved this growing up, even though it was only published a few years ago. Also check out the sequel, which, in spite of a fearful lack of Jeffrey, was still totally enjoyable.

Who should read it: People who have friends. Or siblings. Or pets. People who want friends, siblings, or pets.

6. Heist Society by Ally Carter. It's no secret that I love Ally Carter's Gallagher Girl books, which are about a private girl's school: for spies! And now it's no secret that I love this book, too. And that I want to be a cat burglar. I don't actually want to steal anything, but would it be fun to know I could!

Who should read it: People who also aspire to sneakily steal. People who like Ocean's Eleven but wish there was there were less swears.

7. Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley. Based very, very loosely on Cinderella, this book really rocked my socks. I loved the magic, the romance, the religion, the different viewpoints.

Who should read it: People who love fairy tales but want something a little different.

8. Once upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris. Another twist on fairy tales, although it's in a very different vein from Bella at Midnight. It's a smiler, as in, I smiled the whole time I read it. Recommended to me by my lovely niece, Abby.

Who should read it: People who are in a good mood. People who are in a bad mood.

9. Love Among the Walnuts by Jean Ferris. It seems a little cheaty, but even though they're both by the same people, the only thing that Walnuts has in common with Marigold is the smile factor. More smiles=more good books. Or something like that.

Who should read it: See # 8.

10. A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson. My dad and I listened to this historical fiction/romantic tragicomedy while driving from Utah to Baltimore. I can give it no higher praise than this: We wanted to get back into the car to find out what happened.

Who should read it: Everyone who wants me to still love them.

Honorable mention: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. Only an honorable mention since technically, I haven't read it yet. But if it's even half as engrossing, exciting, and thought-provoking as The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are, even on second and third readings, then it will be a winner.

Who should read it: Do you even have to ask?

Now, go! Get reading! But first, stop by the comments and recommend something good for me! You can never have too many books.

At last, my house

2010-08-08T20:04:00.001-07:00

I know, I have made you wait forevah!! But at last, here are a few pictures of my house in B-more.

The outside:
As you can see, it's very red. We call it the red house. Clever, eh? You can also see a glimpse of the alley, with the non-finished side of the house. Good times. You can also see that it's quite a tall house. And skinny.

The back:
As you can (kind of) see, it's very overgrown, but excellent for escaping fires!

My room (on the third floor). First, the wardrobe:

There's an entire fantastical world in there! Or at least all of my clothes, shoes, and bags.

My bed:
And my dresser. It's nice and big, which I appreciate.

At last, but not least, my desk area:
It's a nice room, although it's a bit hot. And dark, because someone, in their infinite doofishness, painted the ceiling the same color as the walls. It's a nice wall color, but I could wish they had left the ceiling white. If I live here long enough, I might paint it white myself. We'll see.

If we ever get the rest of the house organized enough to be picture worthy, I'll take pictures of that and update you!

Harry Freakin' Potter!

2010-07-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

Many things are happening this weekend: Mom's birthday, friend Niki's birthday--you're both awesome! Maren and Dave's anniversary: Many happy returns! Baltimore's birthday: it's old! National Dance Day: I refuse to celebrate this holiday, in spite of my love of SYTYCD! But I always kind of think of this as Harry Potter weekend. We are celebrating the birth of Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter, and J.K. Rowling! How awesome for everyone else to have birthdays/anniversaries at such a cool time!

Lately, I've been feeling very nostaligic about HP, so here, in tribute, is my Harry Potter timeline of awesome.

1999: Daddy brings home Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone from school. I read the first 3 books, and a love affair is born. Oh, Prisoner of Azkaban. You are so wonderful!

2000: I stay up late into the night reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Many tears are shed, and my feverish wait for book 5 begins.

2001: My thirst for Harry is somewhat abated by the release of the first film. It's no HP book, but the three main kids are cute and a half, so I can't complain. More movies are released over the years. Number 3 is the most excellent.

2003: We host our first ever Harry Potter party with only a hour or two in preparation. It's totally awesome, and ends with Chelsea being crowned Harry Potter. Lucky! I also read Order of the Phoenix and am slightly daunted by Harry's bad (but understandable) attitude.

2004: In a fit of insanity, Annalee and I decide that two family weddings are not enough to keep us busy in the summer, so we plan an epic HP party, complete with invitations sealed with wax, Diagon Alley, potions class, and a backyard Quidditch match.

2005: While waiting with a large group of adults (all of whom are wearing cloaks and carrying wands) to pick up Half-Blood Prince, some haters drive by and yell, "Harry Potter sucks!" Without losing a beat, we raise our wands and in unison yell, "Crucio!" We all feel guilty for using an unforgivable curse but agree that it was justified.

2007: The end? After attending an excellent costume party and reading in a feverish rush, I finish the final Harry Potter book. I cry. A lot.

2009: After two sad and lonely years, A Very Potter Musical is posted on YouTube by Team Starkid. Bless them. Tap-dancing Voldemort, guitar-playing Harry, Rumbleroar, a boss Zefron poster. More wonderfulness than can be told in just one blog post.

2010: Team Starkid does it again with A Very Potter Sequel. While it's not as good as the original, it provides many laughs and inspire my current quest: reread all the Harry Potter books! And later this year, the first half of Deathly Hallows is coming to theaters! Signs point to excellent!

Thanks for 11 great years, Harry Potter! Here's to many more!

I am tired of it being so hot!

2010-07-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

True story, guys. My room is on the 3rd floor, so even though we have central air, it still gets pretty hot up there. Last night, I had a dream that it was so hot in my room that my shirt was smothering me, and I had to take it off. And when I woke up this morning? I was not wearing a shirt. Honestly, it was crumpled up at the foot of my bed. But I wasn't hot, so that's something. One more reason to look forward to fall, I guess. I can start wearing pjs again!

Why Libraries (and BYU) are Awesome

2010-07-16T09:38:00.001-07:00

Just a little something to brighten your Friday. As a refresher, that excellent Old Spice commercial:

Look again! The commercial is now diamonds! Or, in other words, it's this excellent library parody of the Old Spice commercial, from, you guessed it, BYU. Go Cougars!

That vampire movie (you know the one): my review

2010-07-07T13:14:00.001-07:00

It's true, friends, I have seen Eclipse, and I have thoughts to share!

First of all, it's my favorite of the movies so far. It's also my favorite of the books, so there might be a correlation there. However, I also think they did a grood job on this movie, which is the most important thing for me.

Here, in no particular order, are my thoughts whilst viewing Eclipse.

Why on earth do they insist on calling this movie The Twilight Saga: Eclipse? Do they think people won't know what it is without "The Twilight Saga" tacked on the front? Because, news flash, everyone in the world knows what this movie is.

Hmm...Jasper's hair is different, but still somewhat ridonkulous. This incarnation is the best yet, because it's not out the realm of possibility that someone in the world might have this haircut, esp. when Jasper became a vampire, but it's still not hot. If you're going to change a vampire's (supposedly) unchangeable hair, why wouldn't you make it hot??? Honestly, hair people, why you gots to mess with my favorite character's image like that?

Speaking of hair, I greatly appreciate that I cannot see Rosalie's roots in this movie. Next time, bleach her eyebrows, and we're in business!

Very nice with the vampire makeup! I actually thought these were pale, other-worldly beings, not weirdos with mime face.

Nu Victoria does not look the same as ye olde Victoria.

Oh, Charlie! Love him.

Kudos to Jasper for making the most of his opportunity to act in this movie. My roommate accused him of being a mumbler, but I think I have become immune to mumbling because of the library, so it didn't bug me.

Action, Action, Action!!!! Loved the fight scenes, the chase scene, etc. More action=more fun! Do you think the wolf pack felt bad that the vampires got to do their own stunts, while their stunts were performed by giant, computer generated wolves?

Here are the thoughts of others in the theater, vocalised whilst viewing Eclipse.

Everytime Jacob appears shirtless: "He's so cute!" Giggling.

When Edward asks whether Jacob owns a shirt: "Shirts are lame!" Giggling.

When Jacob (shirtless) carries Bella up the mountain: "Sigh." Giggling.

When Jacob (SPOILER ALERT!) kisses Bella: "I'd change my mind!" (from Edward to Jacob) Giggling.

When Mike Newton is on screen: "Team Mike!" with fists uprasied in triumph. Oh wait, that was me. In my house. When I watched the first two movies in the series. But I thought it during Eclipse. Giggling.

Happy America, Everybody

2010-07-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I know it's been awhile. And I have great plans to pick it back up and post more often from now on. And let's kick it all off with my tribute to America, Americans, and that great holiday, Independence Day (also known as the 4th of July, for reasons that are unfathomable. I mean, no one calls Halloween the 31st of October. Well they might, but they certainly don't say "Happy 31st of October!" No, they say, "Happy Birthday!").

So what will I be doing this 3-day weekend (Thank you, USA!)?

1) Dramatic reading of the Lane Smith classic, John, Paul, George, and Ben. No, not about the Beatles. It's the other Fab Four (five if you count Tom): the Founding Fathers!

2. Twilight movie marathon! Not patriotic, you say? Well, take this: paying to see Eclipse will stimulate the economy! Bam!

3. Watching this patriotic video:

4. Not working on Monday! Huzzah! Have a great Independence Day!

Austen, Austen, and more Austen!

2010-05-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

I don't think I need to explain my love for Jane Austen. Mansfield Park aside (he is her cousin and it is creepy!), I super love all of her books. I often say that my favorite Jane Austen is Persuasion, but oddly enough, one of my favorite books of all time is Pride and Prejudice. What does this mean? I do not know. But I do know that I don't really trust anyone who doesn't like Jane Austen.

In my current Austen celebration, I've been taking super scientific and edumacational quizzes that determine which Austen heroine I am. The results? Mixed. It turns out that I'm either Elizabeth Bennet or Elinor Dashwood. They're pretty different from each other, but I like them both!

I've also been listening to Pride and Prejudice in my car lately. And it has really held up. I just want to hug Austen, and then name all of my kids after her. She's just that great.

In closing I'd like to leave you with this awesome version of P&P done with emoticons, as well as my favorite line from the LDS version of P&P. Mr. Collins, talking about Lizzy rejecting his proposal from the pulpit in church, says, "I had a kind of... funny... encounter with a girl in this congregation, who will remain anonymous, but for the sake of the story, let's call her... Elizabeth B. No, E. Bennett." Good times.

Nostalgia takes a hit!

2010-05-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

It's true. I took the plunge and rewatched The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (BBC '80s version). Gah. In no particular order, some thoughts I had while watching this movie:

No wonder Edmund is such a little jerk. He's bitter about being an uggo!

Well, then why is Lucy so chipper? She is also an unfortunate looking child. Someone get that child some braces! And a different hair cut. And a longer dress.

Susan's cute. But still a little boring. I bet that's why she became lame in the books. Her character was dull, and she was sick of it! She wants lipstick!

Why are all of these kids the same height? Are they quadruplets? All I can say is, Lucy doesn't seem all cute and innocent when she's just as big as everyone else. She seems slow.

Seriously, Turkish Delight? Is gross. How on earth can this be what Edmund wants? This has always bothered me, actually.

Augh! The Beavers! Run away! I can't believe this didn't give me nightmares as a kid.

Edmund is schizophrenic! That's it! And his other personality is a buzzkill!

Well, okay. I don't see the point in switching from an actual wolf to a person in a (totally freaky) wolf costume, but considering the other special effects in this movie, that was pretty nifty!

Gee, White Witch. You look hungry. Would you like more scenery to chew?

Is that a full sized lion puppet? Or a lion costume? Either way, I want one.

Gosh, BBC, you couldn't even spring for one "lion's roar" sound effect? I could make a more realistic sounding lion's roar than that.

It's a good thing that the White Witch's army is totally incompetent. I could defeat Peter and his minions with a water gun!

Wait, when you become a king or queen of Narnia, you wear a night gown? Rip-off! but hey, at least Peter isn't wearing those awful shorts anymore.

I guess that's it. I'll not lie. I still enjoyed it immensely. It's hilarious! And I can see why I liked it as a kid. But it's no 2000s The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. And it's certainly no original written masterpiece. I do have to wonder about the grownups who made this movie though. I know why I liked it. I was little! I didn't know any better! And I realize that there were limitations of price and technology, but some of those special effects hurt me a little bit. And the beavers? C'mon. That's just wrong.

I feel like Barbara Manatee!

2010-04-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

In that I feel like singing, "Will you take me to the ball?"

That's right, friends, we are almost at the end of Fairy Tale Festival month, and it has been pretty awesome. It's times like this when I really am glad that I work as a children's librarian. Last week at our library, we had the fairy tale ball. What a swell event!

First of all, the whole staff got into it, even the people who weren't coming to the ball. Here we all are in our finery, hours before the whole thing started.

The ball started off with storytelling (Rapunzel!), and then went on to the dance portion of the event. The kids were so adorable! We had live music (a string trio), and the kids twirled in circles for about 15 minutes. The little boys weren't as into it, but almost all of the girls were wearing princess costumes. The boys who came claimed not to be princes-they were knights or wizards.

We also had crafts for the kids to do. I was in charge of making crowns, which seemed like it would be easy, but it was really quite stressful. Good times. They could also make a wand and decorate a shield, but my table was the most popular (yeah, I'm cool!). Or maybe mine just took the longest and so it looked the most popular. Either way.

Then, our piece de resistance! We were visited by actual royalty! Princess Presto from Super Why! I didn't actually know what this was, but most of the kids were very excited about it. I actually looked her up, so as not to betray my ignorance. And I must say, anyone who is on PBS is okay by me! So, I got my picture taken with her!

The kids were so excited when she came out, except, of course, for the two who got really freaked out. Well, she was really big. That can be a little scary!

All in all, it was a lovely and tiring way to spend a Saturday morning. And honestly, any excuse to dress like this at work is okay by me! I am a fairy princess!

Truths I have learned at the library (today)

2010-04-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

1. It is much harder to discipline a child who is being loud and/or naughty when their parents are right there with them. Not providing the discipline. And being a big part of the problem.

2. The last hour of work goes through phases: the long phase (when people are still around, using the computers and making messes. This is also know as the phase we don't like) and the short, but not nearly short enough, phase, once the computers shut down and the people start to leave. I call this one sweet freedom! And if I can last for 10 more minutes, it will be mine!

3. If I eat breakfast at 10, have a snack at 2, and eat "lunch" at 4, then by 7:15, I'm hungry enough to eat a small library patron, although I do not endorse cannibalism. Here's the real question. If I eat a snack at institute at 8:30 and get home at 9:15ish, is it too late for dinner?

4. When everyone in the Children's section is speaking Spanish (except you), you really start to reevaluate your decision in junior high, high school, and then college to take French as your foreign language. How could you have made this mistake 3 times? You console yourself by realizing that even if everyone in Children's was speaking French, you still probably would have no idea what they were saying.

Nostalgia:1, Ignorance of Childhood: 0!

2010-03-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

Last night, Maren and I convinced Dave and his mom to watch Young Sherlock Holmes with us. I have extremely fond memories of this movie from when I was little, so I was excited, but somewhat nervous about watching it again.

Why was I nervous? Because one of the things I hate more than almost anything else is when a fond memory from childhood turns out to be really lame! For example: my favorite part of Mr. Rogers was always, always the Land of Make Believe. But when I was watching Mr. Rogers a few years ago, the Land of Make Believe was not fun. It hurt my heart.

Or, two years ago I bought some jelly shoes, remembering how pretty they always were, and how cool I felt when I wore them. But lo and behold, when I tried on my new pair, they hurt something fierce. I could hardly walk in them. Farewell, jelly shoes.

But luckily for us, Young Sherlock Holmes is still really sweet! Exciting, scary, tragic, and mysterious. Huzzah!

Now, the question is, what other excellent things from childhood will hold up well? I've been eying the BBC versions of the Chronicles of Narnia on the library shelf, but I'm afraid. What if they're not good anymore?!?!?! Not only will it be disappointing, but it will prove that I had bad taste as a small person! I'm not sure I can handle that again. I might just have to watch them by myself, so if they do turn out to be lame, at least no one else ever has to know.

I'm alive!!!!

2010-03-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, blogging public, it's true. I have not blogged since December! However! I am, in fact, still among you, and hopefully, will one day soon return to you more wordy and long-winded than before.

In my long absence, I have made many changes. I moved back to Maryland and started a job. Huzzah for not being unemployed! I am determined that this experience will be more betterer than the last. So far it's at least very different, which I think is an encouraging sign.

Oddly enough, that's all that I have to say at the present time! So farewell, but not for long, I'm sure.

2009: a Retrospective

2009-12-14T22:08:00.000-08:00

In a word, it sucked. In a few more words, it was kinda like Camp Rock. There were a few highlights (the Jonas brothers, some catchy tunes), but overall, it was a total lame-o-witz.

Here is my year in a nutshell. I moved 4 times. Moving is not fun. I got a new job. I hated said job because of a "difference of personality" with certain management personnel. The difference, of course, being that while I am awesome, peoples in question are not only jerks, but mean jerks (20 points to whoever gets that reference!). After much trials, tribulation, bullying, and threats, I quit said job. So, now after more than 2 years, I am back to where I was right after college: Unemployed and living with my parents! Ain't regression grand? Plus, my fish died.

Of course, being with the Parental Units has been one of my highlights. I hadn't been home for a birthday in two years, and when one shares a birthday with one's best friend/twin, that is a tragedy indeed. Another highlight has been meeting and loving new baby nephew Cooper. What a smiley little bug! Further hightlights include, Ned, the new car; the impending arrival of future niece Bisco; acquisition of lifesize Zac Efron; going to see New Moon with Chelsea and Shay (are there funner people to go to a movie with? No. The only thing that could make Chelsea and Shay more fun would be if they were super wealthy and would pay for consessions); reading all those books from my top 10 list; and singing a solo in choir. Ha ha, just kidding, that last one wasn't the funnest thing ever.

So, all in all, it was a trying year. And frankly, not one I'd ever, ever want to relive. Or one I would have wanted to live in the first place had I known what would happen. But, thanks to the best family in the world, really great friends, the most caring branch president in the world, and of course, the Savior, I made it through. Without all of you, I don't think I could have. So, in the end, I guess it was a good year. I learned a lot (some unpleasant truths to be sure, but I still learned!) and I'm not dead, so I can't complain. More than I already have/do.

In short, Merry Christmas to all! And may 2010 be more like High School Musical and less like a DCOM about a compulsive liar who learns to be herself but never really learns any valuable lessons about not lying, such as that it will make people really despise you, even if you can sing really grood!

A Retraction (oh, the shame!)

2009-12-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

Mea culpa, Jonas Brothers. I misjudged you. Frequent (and observant) readers of this blog may remember that I was less than pleased with their Disney Channel Original show, JONAS, after seeing a bizarre and somewhat embarassing episode of their show. I didn't get it. I wasn't sure what parts were supposed to be funny. The lack of a laugh track confused and puzzled me. How was I to ferret out the funny without prompting? Of course, if it had been obviously funny, this wouldn't have bothered me.

So, long story short, for months, I avoided JONAS like the proverbial plague. But, a few days ago, I was sitting around and trying to avoid my responsibilities. So, even though "nothing" was on tv, I couldn't bear to get busy. Therefore, I watched a JONAS marathon on the telly. And oh, how I laughed. Well, maybe not laughed. Giggled. Most definitely a guilty pleasure, but a pleasure nonetheless.

Sure, there are some things I would change. Stella often has too many bangs. Too much bangs? The boys often wear uncomfortably tight pants. Nick isn't very funny (although sometimes that in itself is funny). But overall, JONAS is pretty plobnrg. I should never have doubted you, Disney Channel! Although you did bring us That's so Raven, which I could never really get behind. So my skepticism was not unwarranted!

Bacon we can believe in

2009-11-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

Well, things have changed immensely since I became a private blog. And frankly, some of those things, including but not limited to, being a private blog, have been really lame! So, from here on out, I am no longer a private blog! We are going to be a bit more careful and selective in our blogging language. And by we, I mean I. I'll no longer be posting anything with my last name or the specific city in which I live. Generics will be good enough! If all of you can kindly do the same, I'd appreciate it muchly! I'll see how it goes, and if need be (please bless not!) then I will switch back.

On to the fun stuff: Bacon! And by bacon, I mean change.

I am no longer living in S. Virginia. Or working in S. Virginia, if you know what I mean. I'm very disappointed with how things went down, but believe me when I say that I was miserable and mistreated there, so unnamed library can kiss my foot! I was sad to leave my roommate and my branch, though. Many tears were shed. I am a crybaby. That hasn't changed at all! And oddly enough, I really miss Maryland now that I'm back in the west. Virginia, not so much, but Maryland definitely. And has anyone else noticed how tiny the temples in Utah look? They're sitting there, all dwarfed by the mountains, while in DC, it's all, "Ta-da!" towering out of the trees over the freeway. Is it actually bigger? More grandiose? Or does the environment just make it seem that way?

Finally, after all these years (26, but who's counting?) I got my ears pierced! I can no longer safely perform my nervous habit of pulling on my ear lobes. Hee hee! It's kind of a kick in the pants, really.

I'm back at Mom and Dad's house! Another change that isn't so great. Obvs, Mom and Dad are swell, and it's great to see them, but at this point in my life, I am really regressing. Which is not what I want to do. I will be here until I get another (hopefully more pleasant) job, though, and I'm very, very grateful that I have this place to stay in my time of homelessness.

I guess that's all for now. But there have been big things lately, and my last blog was not only forever ago, but also about the world's biggest downer. But no more! I have a naturally cheerful disposition! I shall conquer! Go team me!

Nothing cheerful, this time, I'm afraid

2009-09-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

I was planning on writing something fun/funny/cool in this blog post. Like my trip to the Great Dismal Swamp with Maren and Dave, or Disney on Ice, or my cute new glasses. But unfortunately, I'm not feeling it today. I am feeling really down, and I need to share.

This has been, without a doubt, the worst year of my short life. Not all of it has been horrible, but I have cried more and felt more miserable this year than any other time I remember. And I can remember some crap times. But nothing on this level. Every time I feel like things are starting to go better, at Church, or at my apartment, it all comes crashing back down. And I can pretty much blame it all on one person (and my job). I'm so tired of hating her, and feeling inappropriate feelings of rage, but she does not make it easy. In fact, she makes it nigh unto impossible. I sense that, years from now, when I have moved on to something bigger, better, and more fabulous, I will be able to look back and feel pity for this person, who so obviously sucks. At the general RS meeting this week, there was a lot about charity, and i kept thinking I needed to develop more charity, esp. towards this person. But once again I am failing. I don't even want charity right now. I just want to hurt her. I hate that I'm feeling this way. It's so frustrating that she's not only making me miserable, but that she's also making me sin. How rude!

I don't know exactly why I'm posting, but it is a blog about my life, even the ugly aspects. Everyone, pray for me please. I could really, really use it right now.

If Home is Where the Heart is, Then Your Real Home's in Your Chest

2009-09-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

As evidenced by the title of this post, I have been a wee bit homesick lately. It's a real kick in the pants. I feel like Bilbo Baggins: "I want to see mountains, Gandalf, mountains!" But today, something happened that made me feel slightly better. I checked out a book at the library, and the due date is October 1!!!!! That's right, mes amis, the best (for obvious reasons) month of the year is almost here! In a month!

This means several things.
1) I can start decorating for Halloween soon! I'm thinking tomorrow.
2) It's almost my birthday! Start saving your pennies, shoppers!
3) The weather has been cool and should (theoretically) remain that way!
3a) Sweater weather!
4) Fall TV season starts next week!
-4b) I don't have any TV, so I have to watch everything online, on my increasingly slow laptop. Boo!

Okay, so that last one is lame. And even the good ones don't completely combat the feeling of ennui. But, I am attempting to harness the power of positive thinking. So, you will get only smiles from me! And brief, bitter asides.

Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!

2009-08-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

I have been very remiss lately, so I will give you a few odds and ends to tide you over until I think of something deep, profound, and/or interesting to say. Now, in just a few words, what's been happening, hot stuff; what's been shakin', bacon, in my life:

1. Antiquing=shopping at really expensive thrift stores. I recently spent a day in Richmond antiquing. A fun time, but probably not worth driving all the way to Richmond for. Especially since I go to thrift stores for the really cheap clothes, and antique stores have a lot of really fancy dishes. I am not going to buy a bunch of really fancy dishes. What would I do with them? But I did by a very pretty necklace with Calla lilies on it and a little glass turtle named Bradley. I named him that after I bought him. That was not his name before. I don't think. Here is Bradley, hanging out with my necklace! You can't tell from the picture how pretty it is, but it is very nice.

2. Miss Lavendar belongs in the loony bin. I just listened to the audio book of Anne of Avonlea, and I must say that the romantic subplot of Miss Lavendar and Mr. Irving, which did seem rather romantic to the younger me, is just plain creepy at this point in my life. Sigh. I really am maturing. Honestly, someone else go back and read this. She's crazy and it's weird!!!

3. Hairspray is a very good movie to work out to. The theme song from the Corny Collins show especially inspires me to get up and get moving. After all, who needs to read and write when you can dance and sing?

4. After a while, one can get sick of eating salad. We are currently trying to use up a monster bag of spinach, and I'm a little weary of so many greens.

5. IHOP makes good pancakes, but the service is lousy. I think this one is self-explanatory.

6. Catching Fire comes out this week! WooT! Now that this milestone has been reached, I'm that much closer to getting the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy! What's going to happen?!?!?!?!?!

7. Boys in the YSA Branch feel awkward and uncomfortable (and make fun of you a lot) when you sit around in giggly groups and talk about how excited you are for New Moon. And how it's too bad that the guy who plays Jacob is only 17, because he's sure cute! Team Jacob rulez! See, look, he's adorable! And he works out. Ahem.

8. That is all. But I think that was pretty good!

more book stuff

2009-08-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

I stole this from another blog. Good times.

What author do you own the most books by?
Robin McKinley, probably. Or John Bellairs. Ooh, or Lloyd Alexander. No, wait. Who wrote Girl Talk? Does co-ownership count?

What book do you own the most copies of?
Wuthering Heights. I only own 2. And I swear, one was an accidental purchase. On the bright side, I didn't pay more than 50 cents for either one!

What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
So, so many. First literary crush: Dickon from The Secret Garden. Most recent literary crush: Peeta from The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.

Other notable crushes: Capt. Wentworth, Persuasion; Gilbert Blythe, Anne of Green Gables; Art Mumby, Larklight; Howl, Howl's Moving Castle; Matt Cruse, Airborn; Luka, Dragon Slippers; The Beast, Beauty; Peder, Princess Academy; Eugenides, The Queen's Thief series

What book have you read more than any other?
Probably Beauty, by Robin McKinley. Or the Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley. Or one of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggles.

What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Well, when I was 9, it was Caddie Woodlawn.

What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?
That I actually finished? Hands down, Beast, by Donna Jo Napoli. Won't be fooled again, Donna Jo!

What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?
Too hard! In the past month, Beautiful Creatures.

What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?
Native Son by Richard Wright. It's brutal and wears you down.

Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
I cannot honestly say that I've widely read French or Russian authors. But I a little bit speak French, so the French have it!

Shakespeare, Milton or Chaucer?
Shakespeare

Austen or Eliot?
Austen, although I have loved several George Eliot books. However, I've never been struck with the desire to reread any Eliot.

What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
I don't really feel the lack in my life, but when someone needs help with book recommendations, I have a hard time with anything adult. If it's for teens or kids, I'm much more likely to have at least heard of it.

What is your favorite novel?
This is like asking which kid I like best! I can't pick favorites!

What is your favorite play?
Into the Woods

What is your favorite poem?
Goblin Market by Christina Rosetti

What is your favorite essay?
Living Like Weasels. A Classic!

What is your favorite short story?
The Most Dangerous Game. Eek!

What is your favorite non-fiction?
Er, I don't read a lot of non-fiction. But I recently read Life's That Way by Jim Beaver and cried like a baby. Yes, Jim Beaver who plays Bobby in Supernatural. It was fantastic.

What is your favorite graphic novel?
I am so not the person to ask about this. But maybe The Arrival, by Shaun Tan. Honestly, it's not saying much. I have read very few graphic novels.

What is your favorite science fiction?
For many years, I would have said Ender's Game, but if I can count Steampunk, I will pick Larklight. Or, more traditionally, maybe The Hunger Games.

Memoir?
See non-fiction.

Favorite History/Historical Novel?
The Book Thief, by Marcus Zuzak

Favorite mystery or noir?
The Enola Holmes books by Nancy Springer. Take that, Sherlock!

Favorite romance?
I don't read things that are strictly romances, but i sure loved Impossible by Nancy Werlin. Swoon!

Favorite teen book?
All my favorite books are teen books!

Who is your favorite writer?
I used to always say Robin McKinley. Lately, though, I'm more into Shannon Hale and Megan Whalen Turner.

Who is the most over rated writer alive today?
Well, most seems a little harsh. But I'll say whoever writes those darn "Luxe" books. Those made me irrationally angry.

What are you reading right now?
I'm about to start Extras by Scott Westerfeld.

What book do you wish someone wrote so you could read it?
The third Hunger Games book! Or my book, so I'll know what happens and what I should write. Although that does seem a bit circular and confusing.

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews? Honestly?
For a long time, The Da Vinci Code. Still haven't read it, but I've heard bad things about it now, so I have an excuse.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?
Dickon (what, he can tame animals!), Eugenides (I stole this from another blogger), and Greg Heffley. We'd probably just hang out. See who can amuse me the most.

You are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realize it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?
The Old man and the Sea. But I've already read that. So another Hemingway?

Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?
Tess of the Durbevilles. I've seen the movie! Doesn't that count?

As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realise when you read a review about it/go to ‘reread’ it that you haven’t? Which book?
Hmm...nothing springs to mind.

You’re interviewing for the post of Official Book Advisor to some VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (If you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead and personalize the VIP.)
The Hunger Games. We'll read it together!

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?
Latin. Just kidding, French. Then at least I'd have some French skills.

A mischievious fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?
Wow, if they were really mischievous, they wouldn't let me pick my own. I'll go with The Polar Express. I already read that once a year, and it's great!

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead—let your imagination run free.
Well, it's totally got those rolling ladders and squashy armchairs. And window seats. And tons of cool books. All the series have matching covers and formats. Quite a few are nice hard backs, although most are light and easily transportable. And there are Tiffany lamps!

My new digs

2009-08-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

As requested, here are some pictures and info about my new living situation. I'm living in a townhouse in Greenbrier with a girl named Jandy. I really, really like the place, and I love living in Greenbrier. It's quite a commute to work now (about 25-30 minutes) but it's so completely and totally worth it. I am not meant for the small town life! But I'm not too bothered by the small room life, as you'll see. My new bedroom is much smaller than the one I had at Ron and Deena's. Here's a few pictures.

Luckily, there's still room for my totally boss Zefron cut-out!

Heres's the bathroom that I share with Jandy. That's kinda awkward sometimes, since we each have a door into the latrinay from our rooms, and sometimes I can't tell when she's in there. D'oh!

Here's the kitchen. I have half a fridge and lots of cupboard space. It's odd to have so much room. I certainly don't have enough food to fill it all.

This here is the living room. I love our little living room. It's a very cozy and peaceful room. I really like sitting in there and reading or watching the telly.

Here's our little back yard. As you can see, it has a nice little garden in it. Which I am not involved in at all. Except I sometimes eat the vegables from it.

Here's the front of the house. Fun fact: There is no cell phone reception in my parking space!!!

One of my favorite things about the place is the lovely view. It's a really nice pond with geese in it!

So, anywho, there you go. It's also within a short distance of some excellent shopping, including a Barnes and Noble, a Target, and a mall. In Suffolk, there's only a Walmart. Ew. I much prefer civilization, thank you very much!

Some things never change

2009-07-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

I just realized today that I've been blogging for more than a year! Shocking! Who knew I would last this long? Certainly not me. I thought I might get bored and quit after a while. And honestly, certain events almost convinced me to quit. But I think we all know how devastated some of you would be to be deprived of my genius. So, I persevered! And this somewhat crazy post is the result.

Here are some things that never change:

1. Pioneer Day is awesome no matter what, but it would be infinitely more enjoyable if I were in Utah and got the day off. As it is, I'm a wee bit bitter against Mom and Dad for their taunting. So rude! I feel like I may need to make some cheesy potatoes this weekend to celebrate my heritage.

2. The Utah state song is super catchy.

3. Some people are just lame. I'm not talking about people who like golf, knit tea cozies, or read about quantum physics for fun. I'm not even talking about people who invade your personal space (something that should be impossible while you're protected behind a reference desk) while telling you about nano technology and it's potential to fight Lyme disease. Those people are just different. And as we all know, it takes all types to make the world. But other people are mean, for no real reason at all. And that's not cool. I wish this one would change.

4. Sometimes I really wish I was a spy. Or that I had crazy ninja skills. Or both.

5. Humidity was created to test and try man. I am failing.

6. Jacob is better than Edward (but Jasper trumps all).

7. When people mention chocolate covered cinnamon bears, my mouth waters, and I curse the expense of having large quantities of CCCB shipped to VA.

8. Blogging is therapeutic. For example, right now I'm so relaxed that I could fall right asleep. Of course, that might be because I'm freakin' tired.

9. You guys are the best.

I gotta get back to Hogwarts!

2009-07-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

Post coming soon on my new living arrangements, I promise. But for now, I just want to say how excited I am for Half-Blood Prince. Opens in less than 2 hours! Of course, I won't be seeing it that soon, but that's not the point! The point is, when Deathly Hallows came out 2 years ago, I wasn't sure if I'd ever feel that Harry Potter excitement again. And now I do! It's not quite at the fever pitch it was then, but still, it's pretty darn close. Even if the movie disappoints in every other way, I will always love it for giving me back that lovin', Harry Potter feelin'. Plus, it really does look like a super fun film. Here, if I have done this correctly, is the super excellent trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnooUEuyn_M

Well, a link to it anyway. Dag, I just can't figure that darn thing out.

Anywho, my other main past time lately has been watching "A Very Potter Musical," the fan made Harry Potter Musical. It's about the funniest thing I've ever seen, although there is a bit of swears and a few slightly off-colour jokes. I'm British, y'all. Do you see how I spelled "colour?" It never ceases to amaze me 1) how much people love Harry Potter, and 2) how creative they are! So here's the first little bit of "A Very Potter Musical." As far as I know, there is one swear in this section, said by Ron (how could you, Ron?!?!?). But it's honestly a super catchy song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmwM_AKeMCk

In conclusion, HARRY POTTER RULES!!!!!! That is all.

Mystery solved!

2009-06-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

I know y'all were wondering, so here it is, the reason we've gone private: apparently, since I have written about the library in this blog, people could use it to sue the city! I'm not joking. It seems like I am, because the whole thing is a teensy bit crazy, but I'm totally not. That is what they told me at work. After "happening" across my blog by chance. Ha! Lies! All lies! Probably, anyway. It seems like it would be pretty tricky to come across the darn thing by chance. But, they say that it could reflect poorly on the city. I see their point. The fact the creepy old guys say inappropriate things to nice young librarians does reflect poorly on the city. That's what they meant, right? Right? Not that it would reflect poorly on the city to have a nice young librarian be opposed to her treatment by creepy old guys and mention it on her blog, right? RIGHT?!?!?!

Anywho, so we are now private and can discuss what we want! I can't imagine that anything will change. But, if you know people who love and read this blog whom I have not invited, let me know. My only request is that they not live in my town. You know how things get back to the city.

This is not the blog you've been waiting for

2009-06-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Alas, no time at present for the ever intriguing, "Why My Blog Is Now Private" post. Just a fun and hilarious YouTube video to tide you over.

For all the fans/haters of Twilight and Buffy the Vampire slayer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZwM3GvaTRM

Fulfilling my duty by telling you what to read

2009-06-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

I love top 10 lists. Seriously. They make my heart sing with joy and laughter. I'm not sure why, but I can't get enough. I also love books. So now, for the first time ever, I am combining these two loves into one great post! My top 10 favorite books! That I've read this year! Because honestly, top 10 of all time would be way too hard.

Now without further ado, and in no particular order, my top 10 favorite books read since June 2008!

1. The Eugenides books by Megan Whalen Turner: The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, and The Kind of Attolia. Right away, I'm starting with a cheat. This is three books! I know for sure that The Thief isn't my favorite of the three, but it's the first book in the series. So it's necessary. And the other two are just so near and dear to my heart that I truly can't decide. But hey, my list, my rules, right?

Anywho, these books are fascinating mixes of political intrigue, Greek-like mythology, adventure, and romance. The twists and turns are jaw-dropping in the best way possible. I for one am waiting with baited breath for book 4, currently set to be released in 2010. Praise be!

Recommended for: Practically everyone. Not Mom, probably (a bit too intense for her, unless I miss my guess), but anyone else over age 12.

2. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George. The first book in a trilogy, all of which I enjoyed immensely. But I think Dragon Slippers is still my favorite. It's a fabulously fun, exciting, and hilarious book about a girl, some princes, some dragons, and copious amounts of embroidery. Oh, and a few dogs. Few heroines are as spunky as Creel, and few princes are as charming and yet refreshingly normal as Luka. Plus, dragons!

Recommended for: I can't think of a soul who would not like this book given the chance. Maybe more aimed to girls, but boys should appreciate the dragons and action. Don't be fooled by the embroidery, boys! It's an exciting book!

3. Impossible by Nancy Werlin. A compelling book based in part on the song "Scarborough Fair." This book grabbed me and wouldn't let me go until I had devoured it. It was certainly dark and mysterious, but also one of the most romantic books I've ever read.

Recommended for: People who like their romance to be real, deep, and profound.

4. Sorcery and Cecelia, or, the Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. The most entertaining mix of Jane Austen and Harry Potter I've ever read. And that's saying something. But seriously, it combines the joy of Austen--social commentary, young ladies of quality (but not necessarily means) looking for love--with magic!

Recommended for: Classic literature lovers who also love fantasy.

5. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel. Another start of a trilogy. I like trilogies. But, as I've only read this one so far (I'm about halfway through book 2!) this is the one I'm recommending. I will steal my excellent Goodreads review: Jam packed with adventure, pirates, airships that sail the sky like an ocean liner does the ocean, mysterious winged mammals, shipwrecks, desert islands, more adventure, more pirates, and a wee bit of romance. Yay! While listening to this audio book in my car, I kept hoping I would be stopped by red lights, so I could listen a little longer. Now that's a good book.

Recommended for: Anyone who likes a good adventure (and who doesn't?)

6. The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzak. As with many books about dark times in history, this book about the Holocaust was challenging to read. It's been quite some time since a book made me cry this much. But it was also really rewarding. It was funny, touching, inspiring, and heartbreaking. It may not be the easiest read, but it's important for us to see both humanity's heights and depths, horror and beauty. Man, I need a hug.

Recommended for: Teens and adults.

7. The Larklight trilogy by Philip Reeve. Is it really cheating if I make the rules? Nope. So I'm including another trilogy. Another steampunk adventure, this time complete with cheeky British humor! The books have fabulous illustrations, and the audiobooks have a hilarious narrator. It's a win-win! You can't go wrong!

Recommended for: People who like sci-fi, British imperialism, and British comedy. Plus pirates and aliens. Well, good grief. Everyone likes at least some of those, right?

8. A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth Bunce. Bunce's first (but hopefully not last) novel is a retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin story in an industrial revolution type of world. Magic, romance, mystery, all combined in a creepy but beautiful story. One that I'm eager to re-read.

Recommended for: People who like fairy tales and/or history.

9. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Well, I'll just say that I really, really hope the future isn't like this. After a heinous war destroys the United States, the remnants of the population are kept in line through the Hunger Games, the world's suckiest reality show. 12 boys and 12 girls compete in the televised event. The winner gets fame and fortune, plus a better life for the rest of their district. Everyone else gets dead. Somewhat brutal, it's not for the very young or the faint of heart. But I was breathless throughout. And when I reached the cliffhanger ending (I swear I did not know this was going to be a series), I literally yelled, "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!" for a good 20 minutes. What's going to happen?!?!?!?! Oh the humanity!

Recommended for: People who like intense stories of survival and don't mind some gore to go with it.

10. Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and Frankenstein Takes the Cake, written and illustrated by Adam Rex. For my last, I thought I'd mix it up. It's a book of poetry! For kids! About movie monsters! One of the funniest things I've ever read, with brilliant pictures. Adam Rex is my hero.

Recommended for: The young and the young at heart. And the restless.

Honorable mentions (aka, you didn't think I'd pick just 10, right? Even counting the trilogies as only one book each?)

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. A wonderful retelling of the 12 dancing princesses and one other fairy tale which I'm loathe to spoil here.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter. A private girls' school for spys!

The Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems. Don't let the early reader label fool you. These books rock my socks. They're just that awesome.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me. I'm not even joking.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Might be my fav. fantasy of all time, but it's cheating--I read it almost 2 years ago (gasp!).

Creepy dudes at the library

2009-05-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

This may come as a shock to some of you, but the public library is a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Or, at the very least, a haven for weirdos (not to be confused with beardos. Beardos are cool. I like beardos. Check it out! http://www.beardteamusa.org/index.html) For example, in the three days I've been here this week, I've been hit on inappropriately by two different guys while working at the reference desk! The first, poor little guy, kept asking me questions like, "So, do you like bowling?" Me: "Nope." Lather, rinse, repeat. Today, the creepy guy was older and creepier. He made a comment about librarian glasses that I hesitate to repeat on a blog. Let's just say that it wasn't terribly original, but it was terribly awkward. And very rude. And technically probably sexual harassment. I should sue!

And these situations aren't really unusual. Nor, to be fair, are they limited to guys. Those are just the two that happened most frequently. But the weirdness/rudeness of visitors to the public library is rampant. So here's the real question. What is it about public libraries and librarians that make the strangeness come out of the woodwork? Why do these people feel the need and the prerogative to say uncomfortable or inappropriate things to me? Is it because I'm an underpaid public servant? Because I think that should entitle me to more respect, not less. Or maybe the world is really just going to heck in a hand basket and everyone is getting disrespected. Well, I'm indignant! You can't hear me right now, but I'm singing a rousing chorus of the song where I demand some respect! Through spelling!

One last note. I'm not suggesting that weirdness itself is a crime. There are some very lovely people who come in to the library who are, shall we say, different. And I'm cool with that. Although I'm really not sure that the US government actually controls the weather. If that's true though, someone should really get on the humidity problem. But I am not cool with the ones who's weirdness manifests itself in creepy ways (no, I do not want to share an extended handshake with you! Stop trying to touch me! And stop looking at me with your crazy eyes!). And rudeness is never okay. Especially that annoying passive aggressive weirdness we get so much of. Like we won't notice that what you're saying is actually really mean because you're not using your angry eyes. We see right through you! Librarians of the world unite and rise up against public! We shall take over the world! All hail Libraria!*

*For more information about evil librarians and their plot to take over the world, read the excellent, although rather one-sided, account, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. If super creepy dude had read it, he would know not to say anything untoward about a librarian's glasses. After all, she might use them to fry your brains!

Random thoughts

2009-05-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

1. Why do I always get Joan Rivers and Joan Crawford mixed up? At this point in my life, it's a little embarrassing that I can't keep them straight.

2. Some things would really benefit from a laugh track. Oddly enough. Yes, I'm talking about the new Disney Channel show, Jonas. Truthfully it would also benefit from being a) more funny, and b) totally different than it is now!!!! But I think some fake laughs in there to tell me when I ought to be enjoying myself would go a long way. I mean, I know the Jonas brothers can act at least a little bit. I watched Camp Rock, for pity's sake. But I found their new show to be really boring, pointless, and a little embarrassing. And coming from someone who loves the Jonas Brothers and the Disney Channel, that's saying something.

2a. On the other hand, I quite enjoyed Sonny with a Chance, so maybe there still hope for the world!

3. Humidity is the bane of my existence. The other day, when I was walking outside, my elbow was sweating. Yes, my elbow. That's just wrong.

4. Nedric isn't from anything. Except Maren's brain. It's like Cedric, see? But different? Hee hee! Oh, Nedric!

5. The new Star Trek movie has reignited my childhood ambition to join Starfleet. Seriously, why is the present so lame? I mean, come on--librarian? What's that all about? At the very least, in the future I could be a librarian: IN SPACE!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure where I'd want the library to be though. It seems like the outer sections would probably be a wee bit dangerous. They're always getting blasted by torpedoes and stuff. But I'd want us to have windows. That way, if no one was coming in, we could look out at the scenery. Wait, where would I be closest to the escape shuttle thingies? And I bet I'd need to be a lot more comfortable with all those fancy technologies. Do they have paper books in the future? They should. There's something very comforting about actually holding a book in your hand. And would I have to wear a heinous polyester uniform to work? Oh, the dilemmas I would face as a librarian in space. Ooh, look, I'm a poet!

6. Wouldn't Librarians in Space be an awesome comic book?

An ode to that fair town where I spent many a happy year

2009-05-05T14:15:00.001-07:00

Orem, sweet Orem. 90 years old today. Can you believe it? I'm not actually writing an ode, but I think it's worth mentioning. I have nothing but fond memories of Orem. It was a great place to grow up, and it remains a great place to visit. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for raising us in Family City USA! As a testament to just how cool it is, check out this awesome owl story: http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/307645/17/

In other news, still no name for car. I've had several votes for Jayne (good name. I like it. And don't be fooled--it's very manly and tuff). I also had a write in suggestion of Nedric. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! We had a good laugh over that. I could call him Ned for short! It really is pretty fantastic. I plan on trying some of the names out for a day or two, see which ones feel right. But I'll for sure let you know!

The Changing of the Guard

2009-04-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

That's right, I have a good news/bad news situation here. Bad news first: I no longer have my trusty Toyota Camry, Moya. She was a loyal companion for years, but I no longer felt safe driving her anywhere further away than work. Church, at about 25 miles, gave me mild panic attacks until I was safely there and back. I don't blame her. After carrying me safely across the country and through the DC metro area, I know she would never willingly betray me. I blame incompetent mechanics and the cruel, relentless march of time. I truly do miss her. Moment of silence please for Moya.

Now for the good news. I have a new car! He's a 2008 (!) Ford Fusion. Only 23,000 miles. And more money than I wanted to pay, but a lot less than I thought I would have to for such a nice car. Here we are pretending to drive!

He looks black in most of these pictures, but really, he's a nice dark blue. You can tell best in this picture, I think:

So, this is actually the inside of the car. But if you look there at the edge of the door and it looks kind of sparkly blue? Yeah? You see it? Okay! That's what color the car is with the sun on it.

Here's a side view, showing how sleek he is!

Oh, wait. This is me with the large mylar bunny balloon that the weird Sales manager gave me as a "Thanks for buying the car!" gift. Well, I'm not one to look a gift mylar bunny balloon in the mouth. Here's the actual side view:

Ron and Deena also wanted everyone to notice the pretty flowers. So there you go.

What else to say-it seems to fit my wish list. Spacious trunk (I could probably fit 2 bodies in there! As long as they were not both overly large). Ceiling firmly attached to top of car. All seatbelts in working order. Both sunvisors. Paint not peeling. CD player (I started listening to an audio book in it today! Very chic and exciting). Windshield in one piece. Seems to actually run. As previously mentioned, it was slightly more than my initial budget hopes, but it's also nicer than I initially thought.

Only one matter remains. What should I name the new car? I think he's a boy. In the spirit of full disclosure, I must tell you that Moya was named after the living ship from Farscape. I have had a suggestion that I should name new car Talyn, after Moya's son on Farscape. But I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm thinking maybe something from another deepspace saga. I could go with Galactica, but I believe, as a ship, she was also a girl. But it could go either way, I guess. Or Serenity. But I really don't think that's a good name for a car. Too vague. I mean, it could be referring to a state of being! Or I could stear away from ships. How about naming the car after a favorite character from one of those shows? Oh, decisions, decisions!

In any case, Welcome to the family, New Car (name tbd)!

Happy National Library Week, Comrades!

2009-04-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

That's right, it's that magical time of year again, when you should take the time to appreciate the libraries and librarians in your life. Shay and I will be waiting for money/baked goods/any other tokens you'd like to bestow upon us.

Each day of the week has a different theme. Today was "Teen Literacy Day!" I celebrated by reading from my YA book, Wildwood Dancing (a pretty sweet retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses) and glaring at problem-causing adult patrons. Trouble makers.

Tuesday was my favorite day-National Library Workers Day. Does this sound like some sort of Communist celebration to you, too? Well wait until you see the graphic!

Periodically throughout the day, I would say, "Library Workers, unite!!! We demand fair wages and the rest of the day off!" Good times.

In other news, I took a quiz on Facebook that totally validates my career choice--I am a Children's Librarian! My answers confirm it. Of course, they were just choosing between different kinds of librarian. But I don't think that's the point.

Last, but certainly not least, I have been paying tribute to Librarians in the media. Marian, you are an inspiration to us all. Really, Meredith the Librarieth does not have the same ring to it. Flynn Carson, I forgive your lack of Library degree since you have 22 other degrees and spend more time Indiana Jonesing it around the globe than you do dealing with the public. Giles, your impressive knowledge of demons and other forces of darkness is parallelled only by your dislike for the actual student population. Dewey, your ability to avoid work enables me to avoid my own work, since reading about your exploits is obviously "professional development." *see key below

I leave you with a little video that really describes so much of my life as a librarian. Trust me. I've shared it with some of you before, but it bares repeating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRBIVRwvUeE

*1. Do you need to ask? It's The Music Man, obsv. Ironically, I keep trying to type The Sound of Music.
2. Oh, those classic TNT original movies, starting with The Librarian: The Quest for the Spear. This is not like my job at all. Mostly I'm glad.
3. I don't recall the school library being like the cool one in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (tv version). But of course, the mortality rate in our high school wasn't that high, either. So, sixes I guess.
4. The genius of "Unshelved, the library comic strip," may only be truly understood by public librarians. But heck, maybe I'm wrong. Check it out! http://www.unshelved.com/

Is a boredom coma a real thing?

2009-04-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

Or am I just trapped in some sort of weird time warp where everything moves much slower than real life? Or both? We have all been so bored at work today. I think we really ought to close at noon on Fridays. But we don't.

So I am amusing myself and you by blogging! Yay! Now, what interesting thing can I say. I've been very homesick for Utah today. Not just the people, although that's a big ol' part of it. But I have a powerful hankering for some mountains. Specifically these mountains:

Although it's definitely not that time of year right now. Anywho, there's a serious lack of varietay on the horizon here. Augh!

Wow, I'm even boring myself. I won't go on. I almost don't want to post this. I hope I don't put any of you into boredom comas. Or make you feel as though you're stuck in a time warp. I'd feel really bad. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...

Cue the Funeral Dirge

2009-03-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

Dexter Timothy Fish died at home on Friday, March 27 of causes incident to age. Dexter was born in fall of 2007. He began his life as an experiment fish in the science department of Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland. Over Thanksgiving vacation, 2007, Dexter met his owner, Meredith. She moved him from his beaker to a bowl, complete with a fake plastic plant and shiny blue rocks. Due to the experiments performed on him (allegedly, he was switched to different home sizes to see if it would increase his aggressiveness. It did.), he had a rocky start with Meredith. He didn't trust her at first, and would hide behind his plant when she came to feed him, only eating when he thought she wasn't looking. In spite of this, Dexter had a very affectionate nature, and eventually he would swim to the top of the bowl, hoping for food whenever he saw Meredith come near.

After several months together, Meredith moved him to a tank, which was quite a bit larger than his original bowl. It had blue and purple rocks and two plastic plants. It also had an air pump which he really liked. He would often swim through the bubbles in a playful manner. Several months before his death, Dexter moved to his final home in Suffolk Virginia. He suffered a brief reversion to his earlier disposition after this move, but at the time of his passing, he and Meredith were once again on good terms.

Dexter had a burial at sea, attended by his owner, Meredith, and the person who brought them together, Maren. He was placed on a tiny raft, surrounded by treasure. After a lovely service, the raft was set on fire and dropped into the great porcelain beyond. Those in attendance were extremely moved.

Dexter is survived by his owner of sixteen months, Meredith. In lieu of flowers, she requests that mourners send cash. It's what he would have wanted.

In honor of Dexter, please take some time to contemplate his life while enjoying these two songs, which he specifically requested to be played at his wake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEX1dYyvmig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgA2xo0HYrE

Rest in peace, Dexter T. Fish. You were a loyal companion and fishy friend. You will be missed.

We fear change

2009-03-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

One of the things that has been a big change for me since moving away from Maryland is not having roommates anymore. Let me tell you, it's a bummer! Especially after the fun weekend I just had up in grand old Maryland (thanks, guys!! Miss ya!), I really miss having roommates. But there are several compensations. I get my own bathroom. It's actually the biggest one in the house. Good times. I have a working washer/dryer right in the house! No more air-drying for me! Sometimes I dry stuff that I would normally air-dry just because I can!! I also have a very nice, big room. Pictures follow:

Here's the view from the door looking over to my window seat.

And this one was taken from the other side of the bed looking towards the closet:

And the whole house is just generally a lot nicer than Carol's house ever was (goodness, I hope she never reads this blog! Although if she doesn't know that her house is a trash heap already, I'm not sure reading it here would enlighten her). Here's the outside:

The top right is one of my windows. That's right, I have two! Actually, I had that in Maryland too, so it's not that exciting. But these ones have blinds! Huzzah!

But perhaps best of all are the animals. Don't get me wrong, sometimes they drive me crazy. Donna, I don't like feeling your cold nose on my arm when I'm trying to eat breakfast. It's very rude to try to make me spill my cereal! Also, please stop jumping on me. And Baby, I don't like being licked! But thanks for not being a barker, and especially for not throwing up when I was here by myself that weekend. Here are the dogs:

The one lying down is Donna and the one in front is Baby. Considering how much they love attention, it was sure hard to get them to hold still for a picture.

The other pet is Sedona, the cat. I have never liked cats much. But boy howdy, she sure likes me. I go into the living room, not having seen the cat in hours. But about 30 seconds after I sit down, here comes from Sedona, seemingly out of midair, to sit on my lap. Sometimes she'll pat my shoulder with her little paws. It's very sweet. It's not as sweet when she head-butts me. Well, I think she means it to be affectionate, but it mostly just drives me crazy. Sedona was even harder to get on camera. I think this might be because Baby was chasing her as I was trying to take this.

There you go, folks, the world's most affectionate cat. If she likes you.

So, anywho, I am obviously employing the time honored technique of trying to get over feeling down about change. Remind yourself the things you like better about where you are now, and what you really didn't like about where you left. I like my big bathroom, dang it! I actually really like always being covered in pet hair! I guess I'm just really lucky that I loved where I was and who I was with so much that I still really miss it and them after a couple of months. Although I don't miss the house at all. Sorry Carol!

Freaks Part Deux: The Enabling; or, How I learned to stop worrying and love High School Musical

2009-03-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

I have come to a conclusion. It's not my fault. People feed my sickness. Yes, as you can see, it's not an illusion. No, it's my life-size cardboard cutout of Troy Bolton in his prom tux! And no, I didn't buy it myself. It was a gift, as was almost every other HSM thing I own. So who's more of a freak-the people who bought me this, or me, for being freakishly excited? It's hard to say. But I will just say, I'm grateful. I love all my HSM stuff, and it brings joy to my sad, shriveled little soul. Plus, doesn't he just look swell in my room? He's guarding the window seat! And he's only freaked me out 4 or 5 times! After that, I got used to having a strange man standing in my room. He looks dashing and probably scares off intruders. So thanks, lovely former roomies! And thanks to everyone else who has ever fed my obsession. In closing, I'd like to mention two other HSM things that were left out of my last post--my HSM Uno (how could I forget you? The mind reels); and my newest acquisition--my HSM watch. In my defense, my old watch died a tragic death last week, and this watch was by far the cheapest one at the Wally World. Also, it was cute. Good times.

Freak. How Rude!

2009-02-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

I know, it was way harsh to call you all freaks like that right off, but it's something I've been thinking about. I am currently reading this book called Candyfreak. It's a nonfiction book written by a guy who's a freak about candy. He loves it. A lot. Seriously. He says in the introduction that he's eaten at least one piece of candy everyday of his life. He thinks about candy at least once every hour. And he always has 3-7 pounds of candy at his house (not counting the bulk quantities of his favorite candies that he bought when he thought they might be discontinued). Clearly, he's a candyfreak. And there isn't necessarily a logical explanation for why he loves candy so much.

I decided to apply his theory of freaks to my own life the other day when someone asked me why I love High School Musical so much. The simple answer-I don't know. Sure, it's fun, bubbly, all singing, all dancing, etc. But I don't have that level of devotion to other musicals. Sure, it's got Zac Efron, but I don't even have that level of devotion to his other musical (that would be Hairspray, of course. It's very good. I love it a lot. But I'm not a Hairspray freak).

So I guess the slightly more complex answer is that we all have things we're freaks for. I know people who are freaks for the Steelers, Douglas Adams, cows, motorcycles, Precious Moments, digital cameras, spicy peppers, and the BBC. Do I like all of these things? No. But I think I understand. And I'm certainly not going to judge anyone. Nope. I'll be too busy, wrapped up in my High School Musical blanket, having a High School Musical marathon, eating snacks out of my High School Musical lunchbox, wearing my High School Musical charm necklace, writing about my crush on Zac Efron in my High School Musical diary, gazing at my High School Musical digital photo frame, brushing my hair with my High School Musical hairbrush, and making grocery lists for more snacks on my High School Musical white board.

What a freak.

More hotness (aka, it's that time of year again)

2009-02-20T07:18:00.000-08:00

I am nothing if not fickle. I believe it's my prerogative as a woman to change my mind. And that's what I've done here. It's been about 6 months since I last posted my list of top 10 hottest guys in the world according to moi. And you know what? Things have changed. Oh, sure, these guys are all still really, really, ridiculously good looking, but there are some people who I now love more. So, without further ado, I present my new, updated, revised, and completely improved, list of hotness.

On that note of total revision, I will start with the old standbys-they've never let me down, and so deserve a spot of honor on the list.

1. Jensen Ackles

Who knew that ducky lips were not only funny, but also supremely attractive? Well, everyone who has ever seen Mr. Ackles deploy them as Dean Winchester on Supernatural, that's who. Add in those lovely arms and his way with firearms, and I am already melting. But then el Deano is so damaged and sad that you just want to give him a hug. Awwww.

2. Jared Padalecki

Dean's brother from another mother has really grown into his looks. I never would have guessed that cute-but-a-little-dumb Dean from Gilmore Girls would turn into the Ginormotron Sam Winchester on Supernatural. I mean, he used to be so lanky. But he has really bulked up. I approve, sir!

3. Zac Efron

Stop making fun of me! He's legal! And he sings, and dances, and seems like an all-around sweetie pie! Plus, as I will point out until the day I die, he really does have beautiful eyes.

4. Johnny Depp

As I was recently watching the complete first season of 21 Jump Street on DVD (it may be the best Christmas present ever! Thanks guys!), I was forcefully reminded just how pretty Johnny Depp can be. (Contented) Sigh. Ridiculous hair notwithstanding. And he's hardly aged a day! Good on ya, Johnny Depp.

5. Ben Browder

Seriously, anyone who can do this deserves a spot on the list. As a 14 or 15 year old girl, babysitting at a house with cable, I once saw part of an episode of Farscape and immediately noticed the hunk of man that is Ben Browder. Many years later, as 21 year old college senior, I noticed a commercial for a Farscape marathon and decided, based on my lovely memory, that I must check this show out. The rest, as they say, is blissful history. Hello one of my favorite shows of all time and "Helloooo, Nurse!" to a list stalwart.

6. Taylor Kitch

He has done the improbable and unlikely-He has made me love his crazy floppy hair. And he's done the very probable-caused me to watch and rewatch the official trailer for Wolverine, paying particular attention to the few wonderful seconds that he graces the screen. Hugh Who? It's all about Gambit, baby. And one Tim Riggins. Ahem.

And now, without further ado, the 2009 inductees: Tra la laaa!

7. Tahmoh Penikett

No, I do not know how to say his name, and no, I do not care. My friend Patty, who once saw him at a convention, says he's the most beautiful person she's ever seen in real life. I once read that on Battlestar Galactica, he looks like a waiter at the best restaurant in the universe. I don't really know what that means, but I know I would go to that restaurant. On BSG Helo is so tall, strong, brave, loyal, and a great family man. Seriously, best guy ever. Like the only human on the show who probably really, really didn't deserve to get blown up by cylons.

8. Lee Pace

On the late, great Pushing Daisies, his character Ned may have the saddest life in the world. And he makes pies for a living! Come on! Someone just give him a hug, already! I would if I could figure how to reach right into the screen. Poor sweet baby. Plus, he's tall. And hot. Did I mention that one?

9. Richard Armitage

I have already mentioned this gem of humanity in a post, but I think it bears repeating-Huzzah! No, seriously, go back and read that post about him. I'll wait. With his dark hair, super blue eyes, and British accent, I'm surprised more people don't swoon at the mere mention of his name. Plus, he's tall. Hmm... I may be sensing a trend here.

10. Michael Trucco

Battlestar has made a tremendous showing this time around! And no wonder. The guy who started as that annoying dude who Kara inexplicably liked in that one episode has clawed his way up to become my most favorite character ever! And Kara totally doesn't deserve someone so fabulous! For reals, he better not die. I won't stop watching, but I will cry. And way more than I cried for Felix. Or Dee. Or even Billy.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!! DO NOT CROSS THIS LINE IF YOU PLAN TO SOMEDAY WATCH BSG AND DON'T WANT TO KNOW SOME IMPORTANT STUFF BEFOREHAND!!!!! I'M NOT JOKING! STOP NOW OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!

Still with me? Great. Battlestar fans are well aware of the fact that as cylons go, the ladies were pretty hot, while the dudes were kinda weird looking and also old. So making someone as luscious as Sam Anders one of the Final Five? Yes, please. I want to go to there.

END SPOILER ALERT. RESUME SCHEDULED READING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. CARRY ON.

Well, that about does it for today. I could wax, if not eloquent, at least long-windedly about how much I love these fellas who make my life just a little brighter, but I think I need to set you all free to think about the lists you undoubtedly have. Because, come on. We all need this in our lives, you know what I'm saying?

Guys who have been bumped from this list--don't let it get you down. I don't like to think of it as a failure. I'd say it's more of an opportunity to try harder. This is your chance to get out there in the world and show me how hot you can be! If you succeed, I'll see you back here in another six months.

A no good, horrible, rotten week

2009-02-09T06:50:00.000-08:00

This is what I had. Oh sure, parts of it were great. I went to Cold Stone. I watched Battlestar Galactica. I found out that baby Meredith is a boy. And Chelsea and Annalee both started reading "Queen of Attolia" (finally, someone can talk to me about how awesome it is!).

But other than that, things were less than stellar. Let's start with Sunday night. So, it was fast Sunday. And I was finally getting to break my fast. Yay! But while I was eating my fruit snacks, one of my crowns fell right out of my head. Sigh. So I had to go to the dentist Monday morning before work. And unfortunately, my dental insurance is not in affect until the first of March, so I had to pay the full price for them to glue that tooth back in my mouth.

Then, things were okay for a while. My first storytime went really well. I was fun, and the kids really seemed to like it. All was right with the world until Thursday, when I went to leave work. And then, alas, my car wouldn't start! That's right, the car I just paid $700 to fix less than one month ago, would not start on Thursday. Luckily, I live really close to some people from work, so they gave me a ride home and a ride the next day. But I had wanted to go the mall on Friday after work, and I totally didn't get to!

Saturday morning, the branch president said he could help me tow the car to a mechanics with his really big truck. But when we got to the library, the car actually started! We think this was because Saturday was about 40 degrees warmer than Thursday or Friday. And the car didn't want to start. She was being very squirelly. So I still took her in, and she is currently at the mechanics. I'm very hopeful that she just needs a tune up or something, not anything really dreadful or expensive.

So, I got a ride to Church yesterday with my friend, but I had to go early since she had a meeting. Not too bad, since it was beautiful outside. I went and lay out on the grass. But after sacrament meeting, disaster struck! The first counselor in the branch presidency asked me to give a 20-25 minute talk next Sunday! Curses!

When I got home and went to put my stuff in my room, the shelf/clothes hangy bar thing in my closet had collapsed, breaking the brackets and ripping nice little holes in the walls. So all my clothes are in a pile under my window.

Last, but certainly not least, this morning, instead of sleeping in and then coming to work at 11:30, like I normally do on Mondays, I had to come at 8:30, because that's when I could get a ride. Sigh. So I've been hanging out in the lobby for the last little while, and it's still more than an hour until I actually start work. It's going to be a long day.

I just hope it's not another long week.

Being a Librarian gives me a headache

2009-01-27T17:30:00.000-08:00

And a severe need for massages. Unfortunately, I have not as of yet made good enough friends with anyone to request that they give me massages. I've been self-treating, and it's not extremely affective. I have also been self-medicating, but never fear-I only use ibuprofen!

But I am loving my job! The work people are nice, the kids are adorable, and I am starting to figure out what I'm doing! Plus, I can just grab a book off the shelf to check out any time I want! Today I read Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex. Tomorrow I'm going to get the sequel, Frankenstein Takes the Cake. They're funny books of poetry about monsters. Good times. For now I am training with the Children's librarian in the North. In about two months, I will move to the Library downtown . Even though they're in the same town, they're about 1/2 hour drive apart. Crazy, eh? Town which shall not be named is like 430 square miles! It's ginormous, area wise. I like where I am, but I'm excited to head the department on my own.

I am doing my first story time next week, and in March, I am hopefully going to a conference on tween programming! It's just in Virginia Beach, but I'm still excited. I'm also excited to get paid, but I won't get a full paycheck until February 13! I might get a small check on Friday, but if I do, it will only be for two days of work. Sigh. I want $$$$$! I need $$$$$$! Moving is expensive. But at least I am making a salary, not working an hourly job. Now I won't have to think for every single thing I buy, "Dang, it took me 45 minutes to make that money!" Or, worst case scenario, when I was filling my gas tank on the way home from work, "Augh, it cost more to fill my tank than I made today!" That's never a good feeling.

I still plan on taking pics of where I live and hooking y'all up, but I am currently lying around on my unmade bed, so it will have to wait. I want you to see how things could be, not how I really live. Cause I'm kind of a slob.

Since Becca asked

2009-01-15T17:11:00.000-08:00

I am: watching TV and blogging at the same time!
I know: the alphabet in French
I won: a turkey (I was 9)
I want: to be all moved without any more work on my part
I have: chapped lips
I hate: lots of stuff. We'll go with broccoli for now.
I miss: my family, and all too soon, my Maryland friends
I feel: somewhat ill. Blergh.
I hear: That freaky commercial for "The Unborn." Oh the humanity!
I crave: chapstick. They're so dry! My lips, I mean.
I search: for the perfect pants. Curse my stubby legs!
I love: HULU. It is faboo. Also, Zac Efron. And pie.
I care: ummm....Do I really?
I always: Stay up too late. It's an addiction.
I believe: that children are the future. Treat them well and let them lead the way.
I sing: mostly Disney soundtrack songs. What time is it? If only it were summertime.
I write: my blog and the next great American novel.
I lose: my temper, like earlier when a guy yelled at me and stuck out his tongue. Jerk.
I win: Well, I want to win. Does that count?
I listen: to the Christian pop station. They have great music, I promise.
I am scared: of starting over. It sucks.
I need: a haircut. Three goals for Christmas break, and I fink out on the easiest one.
I am happy: That Supernatural starts again tonight!
I tag: Um, Annalee?

Updatus spectaculus!

2009-01-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

Obvs, that's a Harry Potter type spell that will enable me to update you on the big happenings in my life.

1. I got a job!!!! Confetti! Streamers! Bagpipes! General merriment! I'm going to be a Children's librarian at a public library in Virginia. For those in the know, this is my dream position. It's what I went to school to do. So Kudos to me! I'm starting January 20.

2. Cue the funeral dirge: I am moving to South-East Virginia. I always said that I wanted to move back to Utah when I graduated, and recently I had begun thinking that I might want to stay in the D.C. area, but it wasn't meant to be, I suppose. The town where I will be working is about 3 and 1/2 hours away from where I live now. But I think it will be good, assuming I ever get a place to live. Cue general panic.

3. My car works again! Hundreds of dollars and several panic attacks later, my car has been diagnosed and treated for a broken fuel pump. But, considering this was her first big repair since I got her, I count my many blessings and pat her on the hood for a job well done. I hope we have many more years together.

Other than that, things are somewhat status quo. Ha! Anywho, I had a great Christmas, although I really neglected to take many pictures. I'm not sure why. I guess the sisters who were photographing everything seemed to have it under control. So I want some of those pics, eh? Get on it, people.

I leave you with this:

It may look like I am cowering away from the skeletal remains of a giant sloth, but I believe it's a metaphor for me cowering away from my future responsibilities. Of course this one is me sticking my tongue out at said responsibilities, with the help of my loyal twin. I refuse to accept maturity!

Yes, we are picking the nose of a prehistoric crocodile. Ew.

The transportation gods strike again!

2009-01-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have heard my tragic story of going to Utah for Christmas vacation. I flew out from Reagan to Chicago, and alas, I missed my connecting flight to Salt Lake. Of course, that was the last flight out of Chicago to Salt Lake for the day. I had been praying it would leave late, but it totally left on time. Also of course, because of crap weather in Chicago, about 10 billion people were also stranded in the airport. So yes, I slept on the floor in the airport all night. And by all night, I mean for about 5 and 1/2 hours, waking up about every 45 minutes because I was cold and/or uncomfortable. But then, things got worse. I was on standby for the first flight in the morning (at 10ish). It got delayed about twenty times, and finally, at almost 12, they told me I didn't get on the flight. Curses! There were empty seats, but the plane was over it's weight limit. WTH!!!!! I was like, kick some fatties off the plane! Then I realized that was super rude and insensitive, so I was like, leave their luggage off!

But they didn't. So I had to take the 5:30 plane. Except it was about an hour and a half late. Of course. The one plane that I wanted to be late wasn't, but all the others were. I was definitely cheated out of an entire day of vacation.

So, today, I traveled back to Maryland. I gotta say, I was worried at first because it snowed a bunch in Utah yesterday and it was snowing this morning. But the plane only left about 40 minutes late, so I had plenty of time to catch my connecting flight. But then when I got to the airport, horror of horrors, I learned that my car wouldn't start this morning! What?!?!?!?!? How am I supposed to transport myself around town with no car?

So, I guess the real question is, where did I get all this bad transpo karma? Did I kick a puppy under a car? Steal fuzzy dice from a baby? Cut off someone with cosmic powers? I'm not sure, but clearly, someone or something has it in for me. Sigh.

To Blog, or Not to Blog...

2008-12-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to blog about nothing or not blog at all... Okay, I can't keep that up. Just know this! I hope to post some kickin' blogs over Christmas, so don't despair. I'll be back! And better than ever!

One tiny tidbit to tide you over: The new X-Men movie trailer: Now with 100% more Gambit than previous X-Men movies! Yay!

http://www.myspace.com/x-menorigins

A strange problem

2008-12-05T17:23:00.001-08:00

I talk about myself all the time on this blog. Oh, sometimes I mention things that I think are important or fun, or something, but on the whole, this is dedicated to me talking about me. With noble purposes, of course. So all of you can keep up with my life! It has nothing to do with my enormous egg. I mean ego.

So here's the problem. For my independent study, I am supposed to write a 3-5 sentence bio of myself that will be put on the website near my contribution. Neat, right? Seriously, it's exciting. But I can't think of a way to sum up myself in 3-5 sentences. One is supposed to be about my schooling/career plans, and the other 2-4 just things I think that kids/teachers/librarians would find interesting. Ack! And I only have 1 week to get 'er done!

Maybe the problem is that I don't know how to be brief. I can wax eloquent, but I can't sum up. I need to find inspiration! Perhaps I need to try harder. Or take a snack break. Watch some videos on YouTube. Or just look in a hollow tree. Inspiration? Are you there?

Nope. Just bugs, cookies, and a couple of elves. Maybe I could just blurb myself.

"Meredith, 25, is filled with whimsy and childlike fun, in spite of grownup hardships like graduation and job searching. She enjoys reading, walking on the beach (no, really!), eating too much junk food, the color pink, and British accents. She hopes to someday own a dog."

Tonight, tonight (sung to the tune of that song from "West Side Story")

2008-12-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

I went to see "Twilight!!!!" There was much giggling (I was partially mocking the cheesiness, partially reveling in it), a few squeals (I can't help myself!), some outright laughter (Charlie and Mike Newton are in contention for my favorite characters. Who knew they were both so funny?), and a whole heck of a lot of air clapping. You know, where I pretend clap, so no one can hear me, but people can still see me express my excitement/approval. Yes, it's kinda cheesy, but so is the book, and really, that's a lot of what I like about it. Also, I could ogle the fine looking gentlemen. Carlisle is a fox! Also pretty much all the vampire guys, but we all went a little crazy for Carlisle. I am psyched for the rest of the movies now. Go Team Jacob!

Jacob haters, calm down. I heart Edward too. And that rascally Mike Newton. And Emmett. Oooh, and Carlisle! Oooh some more, and my fav. from the books, Jasper. Good times.

I can see the future!!!!

2008-12-01T10:46:00.001-08:00

I had a dream a few nights ago that one of my friends, who is in the Navy, told us that he was shipping out, and we were all sad he was leaving. Of course, this was a silly dream, because he's not in the Navy in the way where he would get on a ship and sail away. I think he works at the Naval hospital in Bethesda. But then, the next day, he told us he was moving! And we were all sad. Crazy, huh? I totally predicted the future with my dream, only my dream made it more interesting. How clever my subconscious is. Now I would like to make my skills predict my future. See previous blog entry for why.

In other news, I am officially a cell phone addict. I never thought it could happen to me, but it has. I inadvertently left my phone at home today, and I think I'm going crazy. I cannot function without the option of calling someone! I railed against cell phone junkies for years, but now I can't say anything. I'll have to start mocking people who rely too much on text messaging. I have so far resisted that siren song.

A Mystery

2008-11-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

What is small and inky black and goes, "Moob?" The answer is from one of my new favorite books, that I really must suggest you all read. Well, it's actually from the sequel, but whatevs. Anywho, the book is Larklight and the sequel is Starcross. A third book just came out last month, but alas, the library does not as of yet have a copy. But I'm assuming that it's brill as well. The books, which are science fiction, but more accurately categorized as Steampunk (I just wanted to impress you with my knowledge of genres), are hilarious and exciting. Seriously, I cannot recommend them highly enough. And the audio versions are a hoot.

The other mystery is how I'm ever going to get all of my work done by the time the semester is over. Eek! I don't mind telling you that it has come up much faster than I ever thought it would. I'm very excited for Thanksgiving and then Christmas, but I'm not looking forward to after that. I do not like having things totally unsettled in my life. It's unsettling! So I guess the final mystery is "What am I going to do with my life?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

A really lovely way to go to sleep at night

2008-11-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered the most wonderful thing on YouTube-the divine Richard Armitage reading bedtime stories for CBeebies on the BBC. For those not in the know, this is Mr. Armitage:

Bwa ha ha!!! I'm not really sure why having Richard on my blog causes me to burst into spontaneous, evil laughter, but it does. Please rest assured that it is very pleased evil laughter. Anyhoodle, Richard Armitage is mostly really hot in real life on and North and South, which I highly recommend, especially for those of you who generally enjoy miniseries of classic literature made for BBC. Of course, he's a very talented man who has also been in other things. Now, so that you (and I) may drift off to peaceful slumber, here are a few links.

I'm Not Going Out There http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QHO2TM5Op4&feature=related

Winnie in Winter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSo1KQ78Whg&feature=related

The Lost Acorns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBWrqXmdzWw&feature=related

I have heard rumors of two others, and if I ever get confirmation, you shall be the first to know! Good night, sweet blog readers!

Meredith Rocks the Vote

2008-11-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

Considering how much am I wishing this election would just get over already, I have been surprised by how sad I am not to be able to do the traditional voter thing today. I sent in my absentee ballot last Thursday, so all I get to do today is be sad that I didn't get to go wait in a long line of voters, go into the little booth, and get an "I voted!" sticker. I actually don't feel too terrible about the line, but I really miss the little booth and the sticker. It almost feels like I didn't really vote! All the fun is taken out of election day without the little booth and the sticker. That being said, I will not be watching the election results. I figure I will find out anyway, and if I have to see one more second of election coverage, I think my eyes will implode. Yes, implode. Gross!

I am mostly sick of all the negativity, coming from the candidates, the parties, the supporters, the detractors, the media, etc. Or maybe I'm just sad that no one ever pulls a Linus: "Under my administration, I will purge the kingdom of our spiritual Babylon! I will rid the school of all false idols!"

Check it out, people. Election comedy gold! Who else would mention the Great Pumpkin in a campaign speech? The same kid who sits in that really sincere pumpkin patch, or tells Charlie Brown the true meaning of Christmas. Truth be told, Linus can always be counted on to bestow little nuggets of wisdom on the populace. A collection of my favorites:

"You've heard of the fury of a woman scorned, haven't you?...Well, that's nothing compared to the fury of a woman who has been cheated out of trick-or-treats."

"Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker."

"I thought little girls always believed what they were told. I thought little girls were innocent and trusting."

"I've learned there are three things you don't discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin."

"I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love."

"Charlie Brown, you're the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem. Maybe Lucy's right. Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie Browniest."

"Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about."

"I can't memorize something like this so quickly. Why should I be put through such agony? Give me one good reason why I should memorize this."

"Gee, do they still make wooden Christmas trees?"

"In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food. Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests. Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: 'We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice.""

Gee, I'm not sure how this post turned into a Linus Love-fest, but that shows what can happen when you don't get to go into your booth and get your voting sticker. It messes with your world view.

Hallowieners

2008-11-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

I don't have too much to say right now, but I don't feel as though you should all have to wait to see my awesome Halloween costume. So here ya go:

I am a magician, not a witch. I don't actually have magical powers, and I don't do tricks. They're illusions! For those not in the know, I am a member of the Magician's Alliance from "Arrested Development." Only three people at the party knew who I was. And that's my friend Luci. She made her wig out of crepe paper put through a shredder!

It was a great Halloween, complete with one of my favorite Halloween activities, Donut on a String.

If you think that image is frightening, consider this- I lost by like 5 minutes. But I didn't lose any of my donut to the floor, and I was the only one who had to eat the stupid powder kind. The other contestants had plain and chocolate covered! I had to go slow so I wouldn't choke on powdered sugar! It's a real fear!

Even More Awesome than I Dreamed it Could Be!

2008-10-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, dear readers, you read that right. High School Musical 3 was off the hook! I laughed, I cried (not really, but I was kinda sad at this part in the middle), it became a part of me. I have been humming songs from the movie all weekend and today. I've been wishing that Mountain View High School was as cool as East High and that my life was a musical. Also for a sweet tree house in my back yard. The Boys are Back, y'all. And the girls, but if you've seen the movie, my way makes sense. Wow, I'm going to stop before my head explodes from the awesomeness. Go Team! (Wildcats, of course)

Come to the temple

2008-10-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a really cool experience at the temple. It was stake temple night, and the temple presidency is being released. We had a special meeting up in the 7th floor priesthood room with the temple presidency. Wow, it was so amazing and beautiful. When I walked in there, I really thought, this is probably what the Celestial Kingdom will be like. I also happened to see Maren and David at the temple, which was exciting and made the whole experience even more special. If any of you ever get a chance to go to a meeting like that, you should go. I'm really glad that I did.

Harry O'Lantern

2008-10-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

As promised, the fruits of my pumpkin carving labor. Ta da!!!

Pretty impressive, huh? I carved this little fella as part of a boys against girls pumpkin carving contest with the ward. Winners don't have to clean up the Thanksgiving dinner. Trust me, we want to win this. Unfortunately, I think the boys might forfeit. I don't want us to win because they're lazy. I want us to win because we're fabulous!

Kadona also carved a pumpkin for the first time ever, and she was very impressive. All of these are from different sides of the same pumpkin!

Girls rule! And Boys suck!

Shifty-eyed Weirdos

2008-10-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

I was talking to Annalee a while ago, and we were discussing the awkwardness of looking someone in the eye. The problem is, aside from the personal invasion of course, that it is physically impossible to look at both of a person's eyes. You have to pick one, or stare at their chin, or maybe their left ear. Or you can be a shifty-eyed weirdo and switch back and forth between their eyes. It's weird! And Awkward! And Un!Comfortable!

To illustrate my point, I was recently watching the cinematic classic, "A Walk to Remember," and since I hadn't yet reached the inevitable, tragic end, I was actually watching the screen instead of blowing my nose or pretending not to cry. Anywho, Mandy Moore's character is trying to look Shane West's character in the eyes and she just keeps going back and forth, back and forth. I giggled a lot. Then I sighed, because they shared their first kiss that wasn't an off script addition to the crappy school play. Good times.

So, the moral of this story is that when in a situation that requires eye contact, don't be a shifty-eyed weirdo. I don't think it's super impressive to potential employers, dates, ecclesiastical leaders, etc. Life might be easier if we were all cyclops. Cyclopses? I'm not sure of the plural here.

Things I'm excited about

2008-10-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

I am so super psyched!!!!! about several things coming up.

Numero Uno: High School Musical 3: Senior Year! Huzzah! October 24th, baby! And to whet your appetite, here is a picture of Zac from the upcoming issue of Entertainment Weekly.

His hair is a little funky, but honestly, he has lovely eyes.

B, it's almost my birthday!!!!!!! And Chelsea's too. Yay! I love birthdays!

Finally, the Twilight movie! I am enough of a girl to admit that I have watched the new trailer ten billion times and squealed like a little school-girl! I also discovered this great picture that made me squeal. And I'm not a Twilight squealer. That sounded weird.

Its good for me to have some fun things mixed in with my soul-crushing real life activitays.

Short story short

2008-10-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

Cause I don't have tons of time. But I thought I should mention that I have decided to stop blogging when I'm depressed or otherwise having extreme emotions, such as panicking. I think it really shows when that's how I'm feeling. I will only blog when I am feeling aloof and snobbish from now on. I'm sick of my posts turning out like this:

I also tried to find a picture to illustrate what I want my blog to be like (preferably me with my nose in the air, looking extremely disdainful) but I don't have anything like that. Instead, I have some pictures of what I suspect my blog is actually like:

Or maybe this:

Good times.

Truthiness hits my blog!

2008-09-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of things I don't understand in this world: politics, Latin, the popularity of Dancing with the Stars, etc. Luckily, Stephen Colbert decided to explain one of these things on his show a couple of months ago--The Oil Shortage. Hopefully this link works for you, and you will soon be as edumacated about the whole thing as me.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/179263/august-13-2008/formidable-opponent---offshore-drilling

Contradictions

2008-09-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like maybe some contradictions in your life are holding you back? Lately, I've been thinking that maybe some things would happen for me if it weren't for this killer combination-my enormous ego (some of you thought that was going to say "enormous egg," right?) and my crippling insecurities. On the one hand, nothing's ever quite good enough for me, and on the other, I'm never quite good enough for anything. Am I alone in thinking this? I don't know how to explain it any better.

In other news, I would like to assure everyone that I am not starving! I have food, I just didn't have the ingredients for the specific food I wanted to make for dinner that night. I worked with what I already had. Yay me!

Don't Panic!

2008-09-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

And always carry a towel. Well, I gots a towel, but I am freaking out. Let me tell you what, sometimes being a grad student blows, and this is totally one of those times. I am currently extremely low on fundage, so much so that I am forgoing a much needed oil change to Moya the Camry, who just passed her 150,000 mile range. Congrats, baby! Hope you can hold out a little longer! I am also forgoing grocery shopping. Wish me luck finding the right stuff for dinner here in my house.

I would like to blame my landlady for this sad state of affairs, because she cashed two of my rent checks at the same time, but the truth is, I suck. At money management. Sigh. Augh! I am really looking forward to the day when I have cash in abundance and no more financial worries. That's a real day, right? Right?!?!?!?!

Update: I went ahead with the oil change. Baby needs her oil. What good will it do me if she breaks down? Plus, I had a coupon. Already I am feeling slightly better about things (although not ready to go a shopping spree). That "Don't Panic!" thing was good advice.

The triumphant return of the Jewish Anti-Mouse Song

2008-09-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at work, the ladies restroom nearest the library was out of order. Before you ask, the library at my work is basically a room and some offices in a much larger building, so no, there isn't a bathroom in the library. Anywho, I had to go all the way to the bathroom that is not at all close to the library. Tragic, eh? On my way back to the library, I took a look at the out of order sign on the bathroom door. It was a hand-written sign, in Sharpie, saying, "Do Not Use! Out of Order!" Then in tiny letters near the bottom of the sign it read, "There is a mouse in this bathroom." Ha!

Now, don't get me wrong, I certainly do not want to be in the same bathroom as a mouse. As the title of this blog vaguely alludes, I hate mice enough that once, in a somewhat panicked and tearful state, I made up a song about mice set to a tune from Fiddler on the Roof. It went a little something like this: "May the Lord protect you from mouses..." That's actually all I wrote of it. At that point, I believe I was taken by a fit of hysterics, no doubt caused by my traveling uterus.
So as I said, I don't want to use a bathroom infested by mouse. However, if that mouse was alive, there's no way it was still in the bathroom. They're wily and evil, and can escape through unnaturally small spaces. And if the mouse was dead, then why the heck couldn't they just get rid of the darn thing? I suppose that's a mystery for another day, or, more likely, one that will never be solved at all, since the bathroom is open for use again today.

Here, to finish us off, are the only mice in the world I like.

That's right, cartoon mice. And even some of them are a little scary. I'm looking at you, Basil.

relhqwitry ;werasi;truuwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

2008-09-12T11:16:00.001-07:00

Oh, sorry, I was so bored that I fell asleep and my face landed on my keyboard. Honestly, working on Friday is so lame! There's never anything to do. On the bright side, it doesn't matter very much that I'm pretty much always late on Fridays and then I take a really long lunch. The lunch thing is not my fault though. It's impossible to walk to the institute, eat lunch, and walk back to work in only half an hour. It takes me almost that long to do all the walking! And I need my leisurely lunch, too!

Enough about me, and on to the current travesty of my life--no one here in Maryland (except the enlightened few who are originally from Utah) know what Cinnamon Bears are! How is this possible??!??!??!?? Cinnamon bears are my most favorite candy in the world unless you count their chocolate covered compatriots, the chocolate covered cinnamon bears. I have made it my life's mission to educate the masses about cinnamon bears, although it's hard when certain people at work keep assuming they're like cinnamon sticks. Um, no. That would be gross. And bizarre. So, for the sake of posterity, this is a cinnamon bear! Or, more specifically, a bunch of cinnamon bears.

They do not taste like the cinnamon you put on your toast or in your pumpkin pie. They are hot, like a fire ball or a red hot. You know, they're cinnamon candy. And they don't have the consistency of gummy bears. They're more like Dots. Sigh. Why these aren't more widely available, I'll never know.

There are other travesties in the world and in my life right now, but I'm trying to be positive and not blog about them (darn you, politics!). So I will leave you with this fabulous bit of news: It's almost the season for Cinnamon Devil Heads, and you know what that means. Halloween!

I <3 Dogs

2008-09-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Y'all, I have just discovered the show Dogtown on National Geographic, and I am hooked. It's about the dog sanctuary at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary near Kanab. That's right, Kanab, UT. I have seriously been watching videos from Dogtown on Youtube for the last hour and crying. Especially the video of poor Bruno! All of the dogs have had such hard lives and so many problems. It's really inspirational, seeing what a difference these people can make, and it's really sad when things don't work out. The way we treat animals in our society says a lot about how we treat each other. Even people who aren't animal lovers should treat animals humanely.

I learned about the show because their season premiere was about some of the dogs taken from Michael Vicks dog-fighting operation. I never knew that pit bulls could be so cute and lovable. Here's a couple of them:

How could anyone see those sweet faces and mistreat them?

This isn't really a coherent post, but I wanted share what I've been thinking about. And be proud that such an awesome organization is in Utah.

Boo-urns!

2008-09-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

It burns! I burned my wrist today whilst making bacon. I'm reminded of a quote from the movie Fever Pitch. "You love bacon, but when has it ever loved you back?" When indeed. As I currently try to rig up some kind of way to soak my wrist in cold water while I'm asleep tonight (so far it involves tupperwear, a lawn chair, and sleeping with my head at the foot of the bed), I am thinking I may have to make the leap to Facon. My only hope now is that I will get a scar shaped like Lincoln or the Virgin Mary.